Halo 3 Remastered Edition
by DonutBeagle
Summary: The Covenant has finally located Earth and has nearly wiped out all resistance. Master Chief along with the Arbiter, must put an end to Truth's diabolical plan to light all the remaining Halo rings and to discover what truly happened to the Forerunners...
1. Arrival

Author's notes: Thus I now weave an epic tale, of the legendary warriors who fought for dominance among the stars and for the control of the impossibly gigantic Halo Rings. I give you: Halo 3 Remastered Addition!

So let me guess, you're thinking why I decided to make this fic on Halo? Well, there is only one reason: Halo 3 was too short. Yes, you heard me. Halo Combat Evolved has a total of 10 levels, Halo 2 has 15(well, 13 if you don't count the first two which are just tutorials) and finally we have Halo 3 which only has one small tutorial and 9 levels.

So my mission is to make Halo 3 even bigger and more mysterious than ever before! I'll cram in a couple more levels into the Halo 3 storyline and I'll make new adjustments, which I'll explain in the next chapter. Anyway, here is the first chapter(or level if you want to think in game terms) so enjoy!

I don't own Halo or anything else that goes along with it(only Bungie owns it)

* * *

_**Arrival**_

It is the year 2552. Humanity has long been at war with the terrifying alien civilization that collectively calls itself the Covenant. This monstrous conglomerate of warlike species sees Humanity as a form of heresy against their religion - a religion based in the single-minded belief that a Great Journey awaits its faithful and that this journey can be embarked upon by firing an array of vast ringlike weapons scattered throughout the galaxy. These monstrous terraformed rings that measure 10,000 kilometers in diameter, are known as Halos, have been abandoned by their arrogant and long-vanished creators, the Forerunners.

This conflict, terrible and destructive though it is, has recently been complicated by a series of cascading events. One of these artificial worlds, these Halos, was discovered and subsequently destroyed by human forces, led by Spartan-117 - the Master Chief - the last fighting member of the legendary SPARTAN II military program and humanity's last, best hope.

Conflict at a second Halo installation then ignited a galaxy-spanning conflagration as civil war erupted within the Covenant, driven by revelations that the Covenant leadership, the Prophets, had been deliberately deceiving its populace. In truth, these Halos would not take the Covenant on a Great Journey but rather eradicate all sentient life in the galaxy - a last-resort defense against the greatest form of completion that the deluded Covenant has awakened in a hundred thousand years. That is the Flood - a sentient, all-consuming parasite that will reanimate every thinking being into one mind and initiate a golden age for this war-torn galaxy.

The second Halo has been activated, putting all of the remaining installations in a dangerous state of emergency standby - they are now primed to fire. The Covenant has discovered the long-hidden location of Earth and has almost crushed all human resistance as it seeks vital clues to the nature of the Halo array, some of which may have been hidden under the sands of Africa for an untold millennia.

Even with the Human's newfound allies, the Elites, and their valiant and honorable leader, the Arbiter, they are still outnumbered by the Prophet of Truth and his war machine, as he is intent upon the destruction of all but the Flood. As the Master Chief hurtles Earthward in a Forerunner spacecraft, he may already be too late to stop the Covenant, the Flood, and the ticking time bomb that is the Halo network, before every last soul in the galaxy is extinguished or consumed.

My greatest work is about to begin.

* * *

The dense, green foliage is what shaded the Marines from the scorching African sun. It was early morning and the First Squad had scoured the large Kenyan jungle, with reports of a unidentified object falling towards Earth. The Marines, after a long trek had finally managed to reach the crash site where the object was just a smoking ruin. They then found something that shook them to the core: a gauntlet that was awkwardly raised. A dread permeates the jungle.

"Damn, this ain't good," one of the Marines whispered to his partner beside him.

"How far did he fall?"

Another marine, an obvious sergeant stood at the edge of the crater with his back turned to the squad, taking a long drag at his cigar. He turned to the disheartened Marines blowing out smoke.

"Stay sharp," he ordered his men, it was none other than Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson.

Johnson was one of the earliest Marines to have entered the Human-Covenant War. He was a part of the Project: SPARTAN I. He was an expert marksman and a battle-hardened soldier, he had his fair share of the war. He was even present during the destruction of Installation 04 and the Covenant Civil War that took place before the Second Battle of Earth.

He moved closer to the object with the gauntlet. It was Master Chief, the savior of Earth and its last hope. He was dead. The Spartan lied at one end of his own personal crater... the result of falling two kilometers apparently. The MJOLNIR armor's designer would be proud. Despite the motionlessness of the man inside, the armor is neither scratched or singed. It laid in a odd position, like a dropped statue. The Marines moved closer to their fallen hero, taking up combat positions. One of the Marines sat down beside the Spartan and removes a small computer from his knapsack.

"Corpsman?" Johnson asked the Marine.

"His armor's locked up. Gel layer could have taken most of the impact," he punched in a few keys, causing the Chief's outstretched arms collapsed onto his chest. The Marine Corporal brought up another screen which checked the Spartan's vital signs. No reading, "I don't know Sergeant Major."

Johnson crouched down to MC(Master Chief) and placed a hand on his chest, feeling for breath, or any sign his friend was alive. He found none. Letting out a huge sigh, he reached and pulls Cortana's chip out of the Chief's head. He stood up and looked at the empty chip.

"Radio for VTOL, heavy lift gear. We're not leaving him here," he ordered. Then to his shock an armored gauntlet reaches up and grabs Johnson's wrist.

"No, you aren't," the reawakened Master Chief said as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. The gloom was immediately lifted as Earth's protector rose from his crater, with the Marines looking at him in awe.

Johnson let out a small sigh of relief, "Damn fool! Why do you always jump? One of these days, you're gonna land on somethin' as stubborn as you are! And I don't do bits and pieces!"

The Chief said nothing. He instead reached out and took Cortana's chip from Johnson's hand. The Sergeant looked at the Spartan puzzled.

"Where is she, Chief? Where's Cortana?" he asked him. Chief stared at the data crystal in deep thought, he then remembered what her last words were when he left High Charity infiltrating the Forerunner Dreadnought. _"Don't make a girl a promise ... if you know you can't keep it."_

"She stayed behind," was all Chief said as he inserted the chip into the plug-in on the back of his head. Johnson nodded solemnly, knowing his comrade wasn't willing to talk about it.

"Corporal, make it quick," Johnson ordered to the Marine who checked the Chief's vital signs.

"Sorry sir," the Marine apologized hastily, and then turned to Master Chief, "Your armor's still in partial lock-down-"

Johnson meanwhile was in deep thought. A lot of shit had been going on ever since the Covenant attacked Earth. Humanity found itself facing Brutes with a strange power armor and a load of Grunts to go along with it. No Elites were present, which meant the word of the Covenant Civil War and the true purpose of the Halo rings reached the ears of every Elite in the galaxy. The Covenant was basically shaken by the civil war and shift in the military, but Truth was there to hold everything together, while the Arbiter and his Elites waged war against an empire they supported for hundreds and thousands of years. And speaking of the Arbiter...

The Sergeant noticed the heat-wave effect of a Covenant Active-camouflage. He smiled and nodded to it, and the figure deactivated the camouflage revealing himself to be the Arbiter himself. The Chief, moving with fluid grace, brushed aside Johnson and another Marine and drawing a pistol.

Despite Johnson yelling, "Chief, wait!" the Spartan jammed the sidearm between the mandibles of the Arbiter.

"The Arbiter's with us!" Johnson said moving closer. The Arbiter glared at Chief, who hesitated to lower the gun.

"Come on now," Johnson said calmly putting a hand on Chief's shoulder, "We got enough to worry about with you two tryin' to kill each other."

The Spartan then slowly lowered his gun, to which the Arbiter clacked his mandibles together which was the Elites way of shrugging.

"Were it so easy," the Elite said in a deep voice. He turned and walked the way from the group.

"We must go. The Brutes have our scent," the Arbiter told the Marine's, to which Johnson gave a soft chuckle.

"Then they must love the smell of badass," he said, grabbing a Assault Rifle from a nearby Marine and handing it out to the Chief, who swiftly takes it by the pistol grip. The Spartan looked over at the Arbiter, unsure of what other surprises lay ahead.

* * *

And here you have it! The Halo 3 Remastered Addition will be coming out with more chapters as soon as I finish my exams, and then comes summer and a lot of free time to be on the computer! So what do you think of this so far?

Reviews will be used to buy Johnson a Hybrid Warthog!


	2. Sierra 117

Well, I'm back and I'm ready to kick off with some more action! And just to let you know, I've beaten Halo 3 on Heroic! Hooray! And I've also beat some levels on Legendary! Totally sweet!Anyway, this next chapter is packed full with action and smashing heads open! Enjoy!

I don't own Halo.

* * *

**Sierra 117**

**Part I: Walk it off**

"First squad your my scouts, Chief you and the Arbiter stay close to me," Johnson ordered. Chief reluctantly went over to the Arbiter, watching the Elite as it took its Covenant Carbine from its position on its back. It then along with the Marines headed out.

"Are you sure it can be trusted?" Chief asked Johnson, who was putting his cigar away to save it for later.

"Sure we can, the Arbiter was the one to help us out stopping the Mohawk chieftain on the Second Halo Ring. Besides, he knows how the Halo works, just as well as the rest of the Elites," he then went into a brisk run along with the Chief, "Every Elite in the galaxy is now at war with the Covenant, so that means they're on our side." He then reached for his radio communicator.

"Bravo Team, this is Johnson. We got him. Fall back to the Extraction point. Over."

"Roger that. Reynolds out."

Suddenly there was a eerie howling in the distance. All the Marines stopped dead in their tracks, suddenly frightened. The howling continued as it vibrated across the jungle, shaking not only the leaves but the Marines as well.

"That sounded close," a female Marine observed.

"Yeah, too close," another added.

They continued along their way, with the Arbiter talking in a hushed tone. The Chief managed to eavesdrop in time to catch Johnson exclaim in a hoarse whisper, "What?! That's a Brute?!"

Just then the radio beeped on Johnson's side, he brought it up to his ear.

"Johnson, you be advised. Hostiles are..." static interrupted the message. Johnson shook the radio a few times before it cleared up, "...Brutes. Over."

"Say again, Gunny? You're breaking up," Johnson said into the radio. It was silent. There was then a ominous whisper of gravitational drives as a Phantom flies above the trees.

"Sergeant Major, Phantom inbound," a Marine whispered warning the others.

The Phantom slowly passed over the hidden Marines, heading towards some unknown location.

"If we stay together like this we're gonna get spotted. We'll split up, meet back at the LZ. Chief, go with the Arbiter, head toward the river. Second Squad you're with me," Johnson ordered as he and a few Marines climbed up a cliff near a gentle, calm waterfall. Chief looked over at the Arbiter, who climbed up a huge boulder, then taking cover behind a tree. Chief joined him and saw what he was looking at. It appeared to be a Brute, but it was wearing what looked like golden armor. The Brute was standing on another boulder with its arms crossed.

"Spread out you whelps! Find them!" the Brute said in a husky deep voice.

"Up ahead! Single Brute, plus backup!" a Marine whispered.

"He's got power armor Chief!"

_Power Armor? That's new, _the Chief thought taking aim at the Brute. The first few bullets from the Chief's Assault Rifle ricocheted but managed to pierce the armor. The Brute roared an order to the Grunts it was commanding and they all came to view, waddling forward with their plasma pistols blazing. The Marines opened fire as well, some able to mow down a couple. The Brute jumped down from its original position wielding a Brute Shot. A few hits from the Arbiter's Covenant Carbine removed the Brutes armor, knocking off its headgear to reveal the shaved head. A single pistol shot from the Chief took out the Brute. Immediately the Grunts panicked and began to run around, their arms flailing as they tried to flee, the Marines never gave them a chance and continued to fire upon them relentlessly.

The Arbiter meanwhile walked over to the dead Brute. Looking down at the corpse, he shook his head, "The Prophets are liars. But you are fools to do their bidding."

The Chief then took the Brute Shot in his hands and weighed it. It was wield-able, and it had a few good rounds in it. He and the Marines along with the Arbiter then continued down the stream. Up ahead the Chief spotted a Phantom dropping off some more Covenant troops. The Spartan turned to his comrades and motioned to the enemies ahead. They nodded and took defensive positions, the Arbiter readying his Carbine while the Marines reloaded their weapons. Suddenly another Phantom appeared, hovering just a few meters away from them. The Chief reacted on instinct and fired a couple rounds at the side, knocking off a Grunt and its auto-turret. The Phantom emptied out its troops, a bunch of Grunts and another Brute in golden armor. First Squad opened fire on the Covenant troops, taking out most of the Grunts. Chief cursed as his Brute Shot ran out of ammo and threw it down. He then looked around and saw a Plasma pistol that was floating down the stream. He grabbed it and charged it up and released the gathered energy on the Brute. That charged shot was powerful enough to knock off the protective shielding of the Brutes armor, causing the Brute to let out a terrifying roar and charge at the Marines.

"Watch out he's gone mental!" screamed one of the corpsman. On instinct they fired at the berserk Brute, dropping it.

"There's more up ahead," the Arbiter warned, pointing out the Covenant soldiers up ahead.

After a huge slaughter, all Covenant forces in the area were eliminated. Thankfully the Plasma cannon that dropped off from the Phantom the Chief attacked was not wasted, so it was used to eliminate a majority of the Covenant forces.

"These Brutes are tough," a Marine exclaimed, wiping his brow.

"The Grunts ain't no slouches either," A female Marine kicked a dead Grunt.

"Most of the Grunts have joined the Prophets, their new-found courage is but fear," explained the Arbiter, "When we are all victorious, all those who serve the Prophets will be punished."

* * *

Sergeant Reynolds fold himself in the merciless grip of a huge Brute Captain. He struggled in vain as he tried to loosen the grip the Brute had on him. The aliens sour breath made it difficult for Reynolds to even breath. So far it had asked him about something called 'the Ark', but what the hell was it?

"For the last time, answer me if you want to live. Tell me of its location," the Brute snarled. Reynolds was losing oxygen in his lungs, he did not know what he was being interrogated about, but he could only say one thing that was on his mind.

"Kiss...my...ass," he spat out. The Brute growled and drew back its fist ready to strike, but was stopped when a bunch of needles flew towards it and latched themselves to its head. The Brute dropped Reynolds and cried out before the needles burst, killing the Brute. The Jackal that was standing watch soon fell as well when a shower of bullets mowed it down. Reynolds got up shakily and to his relief it was First Squad, the people he tried to contact repeatedly to warn them of Brute movements. He looked over at Master Chief, "Brute Chieftain. Phantom. Pinned us down...killed my men."

A fellow Marine patted the distraught Reynolds on the back, "Don't worry buddy, we'll make em' pay."

Chief meanwhile was taking out a few Grunts over near a cave with the dead Jackals carbine. He then crossed over the log that served as a bridge and drew out his Assault Rifle and began to fire on more of the Grunts taking over behind a tree stump when they returned fire.

"C'mon, lets give Chief a hand!" a Marine yelled and raced to where the fighting was taking place.

"Wait, stay back!" the Chief yelled at the Marine, but the warning came too late. The Spartan spotted a couple of Jackals with their shields up, then a Jackal sniper appeared. The sniper took aim and fired, killing the charging Marine.

"Shit!" Reynolds yelled, he took a grenade he acquired from another Marine and threw it, "Take this with you!"

The grenade bounced once before exploding, killing the Jackals. Chief using a Battle Rifle, began to get successful head shots on the Grunts, in quick precision he knocked another Grunt on the head killing it.

"Dude, he's just owning them!" a Marine laughed, watching Master Chief's performance. Just then a Brute appeared from the mouth of the cave, wielding a Brute Shot. He fired a couple of rounds, causing the Marines to find cover.

"Damn, I hate those things," mumbled Reynolds as he crouched right next to a fellow Marine. The Brute was then joined by two others, who seemed to be under the first Brutes command.

"Come pack brother!" one of the Brute's wearing light blue armor said to its partner, "Let us flush these Heretic's from their holes!"

The two moved forward, and some Marines retaliated by firing forcing the Brutes to seek cover. Chief managed to hit a Brute right between its eyes, causing its partner to curse in foreign tongue. The rest of the Marines kept up the fire, having to hide when the Brute wielding the Brute Shot fired a couple of rounds.

"Have any bright ideas?" a Marine asked the Chief, who sat pondering the situation. He looked at the two remaining Brutes from his hiding spot, the two of them tense a ready to fire in an instant. Chiefs foot then hit something, he looked down to see it was a rock and immediately an idea formed in his head. He tossed the rock to the nearest Brute with a Mauler. The Brute, thinking the rock was a grenade dove away and out into the open; and as if on cue the Arbiter took a head shot at the Brute, leaving only one left. Said Brute roared and shouldered its weapon and made a bounded at the Arbiter its eyes filled with blood-wrath. Chief instinctively stuck out his foot, tripping the Brute making it fall flat on its face! The Arbiter finished the job by using the butt-end of the Carbine.

"Now that is what I call teamwork!" a Marine praised the two champions. Master Chief glared at the Marine but it was hidden by the visor, the Arbiter only nodded.

The minor UNSC force continued on its way, towards further caves and pushing towards the river, where Johnson hopefully has established an extraction point for second squad. They then headed down a steep slope inside the cave, some of the Marines had trouble getting down, as some were not used to jumping from such a height. As Chief landed at the bottom of the slope, he heard a voice that had a slight echo to it. His vision became unfocused and a image of Cortana showed up in front of him. Chief wanted to reach out, but couldn't because he was somehow transfixed in place.

_'Could you sacrifice me to complete your mission? Could you watch me die?' _She asked the Spartan, then vanished as Chiefs vision returned to normal. Chief shook his head trying to get some aches out. What was going on?

"Sir, you okay?" Chief looked up to see a couple of the Marines, their faces showing a mixture of worry and puzzlement.

"Your vitals just pinged KIA," another informed him. Chief lowered his head and strode past them.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, brushing their concern off. The Marines looked at each other confused, the Chief was acting strange, but for what reason?

"Chief," Johnson voice reached the Spartans com-link, "The LZ is under attack, the Brutes found us. We need some extra guns on our side!"

"Roger that," Chief acknowledged and turned to the small Marine force(plus Arbiter) ,"The LZ is under attack, we need to hurry to the river."

"Yes, sir!" the Marines chorused, and they picked up speed.

* * *

**Part II: Charlie Foxtrot**

Johnson flinched when one of the Marines fell from the Pelican, impaled by a Brute Spiker. Damn apes, just when you thought they couldn't get any more annoying...

"Sergeant, my Pelican is taking some heavy hits. How much longer must we wait?"

"Until the Chief and the Arbiter get here, so hang tight!"

The Evacuation force was hovering over a river substation, next to a raging river with a small dame Pelican door gunners were basically fighting for their lives against a cluster of Covenant troops that have tunneled themselves into the substation. It was soon that the Chief arrived, his Battle Rifle sniping the Covenant forces that were besieging the Pelicans.

"It's about time you got here Chief! Help me clear these bastards from the Substation!"

"Hold on sir. I've got a contact," a female Marine reported from one of the Pelican. As master Chief and his allies started moving forward putting pressure on the Covenant troops, two Banshees appeared launching a high-speeding strafe run against the Pelicans.

"Banshees! Fast and low!!" the female pilot screamed.

"Break off-Now!" the Pelican that was called Echo 51 which was currently holding Johnson.

But it was too late. Small explosions cascaded over the Pelicans, causing massive damage.

"I'm hit!I'm hit! Ahhhh!!" the female Marine screamed as her Pelican plunged into the river beyond the dam, while Echo 51 had a smoking thruster.

"Lost a thruster. Hang on!" Echo 51's pilot warned.

"Get a hold of her!" Johnson ordered, his voice sounding desperate.

"Negative, we're going down!"

Echo 51 then disappeared through the cliffs. The Chief cursed, drawing out his Assault Rifle puncturing bullet holes through a group of Grunts.

"We have to go back into the jungle to save the Sergeant," the Arbiter said looking at the Chief, "His capture by the Brutes will be disastrous to our cause."

"Up ahead sir, Covenant reinforcements," a nearby Marine warned. Sure enough, a Phantom dropped off a bunch of Grunts and two Brute Captains. Chief swore and looked at the Arbiter, "Looks like we need to work together on this one."

The Arbiter nodded and readied his Carbine, the Marines took up defensive positions and aimed at the Covenant Loyalists. The Brutes who wielded Brute Shots immediately started firing them, forcing the Chief and his allies to find cover behind water pumps and boulders. Large chunks of rock and brick flew off as the projectiles battered the Marines hiding spots. Few managed to actually catch a Marine or two in their blast radius, but thankfully hardly any damage was done.

"Well this is getting ridiculous; I'm going ahead to see what I can do," The Chief informed his allies.

"Be careful sir, don't wanna lose you," Reynolds warned him. Chief nodded and took a quick peek from his position. So far the Brutes and Grunts had the higher ground. He then noted that a huge boulder that was just off to his left and farther away had along with the cliff-side created a pathway to the high ground which he could take the Brutes by surprise, but the pathway was blocked by two Jackals with shields up. The Chief brought out his battle rifle and took out a grenade and threw it. The grenade bounced before landing at the Jackals feet. Only one of the thin, wry creatures dodge-rolled out of the way, the other wasn't too fortunate. The Chief fired a round and killed the Jackal that had dodged, and then sprinted across avoiding the Brute Shots.

_So far so good, _the Master Chief said to himself. He then took out the Jackal Snipers that were guarding the ridge, and proceeded upwards were he found the Brutes. The huge ape-like creatures were focused on the humans, directing all their fire on them. The Chief took a Plasma grenade in one hand, and threw it making it stick to a Brute wearing cyan-colored armor. The Brute, confused at first looked to see what was stuck to it and saw the grenade. It gave out a enraged howl before the grenade exploded, turning the mighty Brute into a plasma-burned furball.

The other Brutes, realizing they've been flanked. Turned all their attention to the Chief which was what the Spartan wanted. With the Brutes diverted, the Marines moved in weapons blazing, catching the Brutes off-guard.

"Let them have it!" Reynolds yelled, his Battle Rifle taking out a Brute.

The Brutes soon figured out that they were too exposed and that they would be finished off unless they ran for cover.

"Pull back, " A Brute Captain yelled to his comrades. The three remaining Brutes then ran to the other side of the station to find cover, but they did not get that far.

There was a inhuman yell and the Arbiter appeared, wielding his Energy Sword. He was upon the Brutes in a flash and cut them down. The Chief was somewhat impressed, _I guess he really can be trusted after all._

The few Grunts meanwhile saw that their commanders were dead, panicked and began to run around in circles with their courage gone.

"The Banshees will return. Let us hurry into the jungle," the Arbiter said making his way to the dense foliage with the Chief and the remaining two Marines following.

* * *

**Part III: Quid Pro Quo**

After managing to secure the crash site from Covenant forces, but unable to save Johnson and his squad who fled from pursuing Brutes, the Master Chief and the Arbiter along with Reynolds scoured the jungle for the Sergeant. They soon came upon the main dam which acted as a power-station for the UNSC, but now it was held by the Covenant. As the Chief and Arbiter viewed the dam, they finally spotted Johnson who was being beaten by a Brute Chieftan.

"See how they beat their trap?" the Arbiter pointed at the scene, with Johnson on the ground the Chieftain roaring at him. The Sergeant got up and threw a punch at the Brute with no affect.

"I will help you spring them," the Arbiter said as the Chieftain kicked Johnson in what appeared to be a supply building which the Brutes turned into a makeshift prison.

"Look there, I see at least four sniper Jackals," Reynolds warned prone on the ground, "There is one on the roof of a collapsed building just below us, another is right near the entrance to the dam, third is on the walkway on the main building that holds the machinery you know for the dam, and the last one is on top of the makeshift prison Johnson is being held."

Chief nodded and looked at the Arbiter who already had his Carbine out. The Chief got his sniper rifle which he recieved from the crash site and took aim...

* * *

Johnson hated the position he was right now. It was not one of his luckiest days, sure he had been captured by the Brutes just once, but he had been lucky. If it wasn't for the Arbiter, he would have become lunch. But now he was once again in custody, he appeared to be next on the Brute menu.

"Sir, I don't think we're gonna make it," a Marine across whispered to Johnson, who snorted.

"Don't lose your cool Marine, we'll get out of this," Johnson assured him. The battle-hardened Sergeant was positive the Chief would come, hell that Spartan been through hell a lot more times than he had!

The Brute Chieftain then entered the makeshift prison, and stood in front of the Marines who were behind the Plasma Shield that was imprisoning them.

"Your soft flesh shall become a nutritious meal for my warriors!" he sneered, hoping to frighten them. Johnson only looked up at the Chieftain with a cocky smile.

"Then I hope we give them indigestion!" Insert snickers from couple of Marines.

The Brute Chieftain moved to drop the plasma shield and finish the Marines off, but refrained and gave his prisoners a nasty grin, "We shall see if you'll be laughing when we pick our teeth with your bones!"

Some of the Marines faltered, but Johnson still stared at the Brute with hard eyes. The Brute Chieftain saw this and smirked, lowering itself to Johnson's height.

"You know so little, vermin. Soon the Great Journey shall come and leave you behind, you and the rest of the rabble that infests-", the Chieftain never finished when a gunshot was heard and a Jackal fell down onto the pavement at the entrance to the prison. The Brute Chieftain looked at the body with shock, before recovering and screaming, "We're under attack!"

A couple more sniper shots rang out, and by that time the dam came alive with Grunts, Jackals, and Brutes. A Marine next to Johnson looked over at him with a hopeful look.

"Is the Chief here?" he asked as if Christmas came early.

"You bet your balls he's here!" Johnson laughed, "I knew that son of a bitch wouldn't let us down!"

"Shut your traps you maggots!" the Brute Chieftain roared causing a couple of the Marines to cringe, "Do not think that one Demon can change the tide! When this is over, I'll bring that monsters carcass to you all and lay it at your feet!"

The Chieftain then rushed out, barking orders to his pack. All that the Marines could do now was sit tight and hope for the best. Outside the Marines could hear Brute Shots and plasma discharge, along with wailing Grunts and snarling Brutes. A Phantom then touched down, bringing with it Covenant reinforcements which basically made some of the Marines nervous, wondering if the Chief had what it took to stand against such odds.

What seemed like an hour was actually close to twenty minutes when the Chief arrived at the doorway to the prison. Immediately the air of gloom was replaced by the cheers of Marines. The Chief had plasma markings on his armour, but was overall in good condition. Johnson noticed the huge Gravity Hammer resting on the Chief's back. The Arbiter soon followed, his Energy sword out, no doubt he'd been using it.

"This isn't as fun as it looks, cut the power!" Johnson ordered, to which the Chief nodded in acknowledgement and deactivated the plasma shield using the controls. The Marines quickly got up from their sitting positions and ran over to the weapons rack were they got Covenant needlers, plasma pistols, and Carbines. Johnson after picking out a Needler looked at the Chief and smiled.

"I hope you cracked that Brute Chieftain's skull in for me Chief," Johnson said hopefully.

"His face is actually caved in right now," the Spartan answered reloading a clip on his Battle Rifle. Johnson laughed and spoke into his com-link.

"Kilo 23, what's your ETA?"

A crackling was heard on the com-link before a voice spoke up, "Imminent Sergeant, find some cover. Gotta clear a path."

"Roger that, Hocus. Friendly gunship, coming in hot Marines!" Johnson informed those present, bringing cheers. Some sixth sense told the Chief to look up, and he did to see a Phantom coming down at him.

"Everyone! Phantom up above!" he shouted and on instinct the Escapees took shelter in the "Prison".

Another Phantom soon followed the first, hovering over the opposite side of the dam. Out from its underbelly came more Covenant troops.

"If we stay here any longer the roof will collapse!" Johnson said as he took notice of the Phantom's plasma turrets damaging the structure they were in, "We have to make a run for it. Chief, you lead and try not to get caught."

Chief nodded and got out from cover and sprinted, with the Marines following behind. The Phantoms fired but were not fast enough to keep track of the Humans. The Spartan and his allies took refuge behind a building that regulated the water flow of the dam, but the Phantoms had already dropped off Covenant reinforcements.

"Hocus, where the hell are ya'? These Phantoms are giving us trouble!" Johnson hollered into the com-link.

"I see 'em! Standby," Hocus informed as it appeared over the horizon, "Going loud, everyone down!"

The Marines wisely stayed hidden behind the building as Kilo 23 let out a missile barrage, etching the air with vapor contrails. All the missiles hit, causing the first Phantom to explode in a brilliant coruscation of plasma and metal.

"Scratch one!" Hocus, the pilot of Kilo 23 yelled joyously and fired two missile barrages at the second Phantom, sending it plunging to the river in pieces.

"Scratch two!" Hocus said and fired extra missiles on the dam to get rid of the Covenant stragglers.

"Well done Hocus," Johnson congratulated the pilot amid the cheering of the escaped Marines. Silently the Sergeant thanked the fact that the Pelican was more heavily armed than any Phantom.

* * *

Two Marine sentries were on the watch. Ever since the Covenant invaded Earth, the defenders of the UNSC found themselves using guerrilla tactics instead of huge assaults. Slowly the Covenant was being pushed back to Eastern Africa in which they fortified their positions, making it nearly impossible to attack. Truth was currently residing in what appeared to be a Forerunner ship, making numerous speeches on how he claimed the Great Journey was near.

One of the Marine Sentries wielding binoculars spotted a Pelican approaching the base they were keeping watch over. He informed Base Control of the Pelican, checking over its identification through his binoculars readings.

"IFF confirmed. Contact is Pelican dropship Kilo 23. Over," the sentry reported to Control.

"Roger that. What's the word, Kilo 23?" Control radioed the gunship on its mission.

"Sierra 117 onboard. Request priority clearance, over."

"Decks yours. Come on down," Control acknowledged as Kilo 23 proceeded to land in a hidden hanger in the ground.

The two sentries meanwhile were filled with something they had not felt in a long time since the invasion: hope.

"Hey Glen?" the sentry asked his fellow Marine.

"Yeah?"

"I think we're gonna win this war."

* * *

Authors notes: Well, I'm finally done with this chapter, and just to let one of the reviewers know that the Covenant is Not 30 years old. If you look up Covenant in Halopedia you can clearly see the Covenant went through some ages which each took thousands of years to get through, I'm not being critical, I just want you to know.

By the way we have already known that this fanfic will have changes in the Halo storyline so let me point them out:

**Changes in Halo 3 Remastered Edition  
**-Shadow's from Halo 2 will be fought against  
-A few Grunts will be fighting for the Elites  
-Flood can use vehicles just like in Halo 2  
-Able to fight Sentinel Enforcer from Halo 2  
-New Multiplayer option called Battlefield.  
-New Skulls are available  
-Brute Honor Guards will return  
-Brute Power Armor can regenerate until it is completely disabled  
-The Brutes shall also have twice the amount of health  
-The deleted Flood Juggernaut from Halo 2 shall be fought against  
-You can now pilot the Anti-Air Wraith

**Changes on Sierra 117 in Halo 3 Remastered Edition  
**-More Jackal Snipers wielding Particle Beam Rifles are more common(Heroic and Legendary).  
- At the dam where Johnson is being held at, there will be four Jump Pack Brutes wielding Brute Shots and Beam Rifles(Legendary only)

Just to let all of you know I wish this is how Halo 3 would have played out so I am putting most of my time and effort into this, which means Code Lyoko Remix will be on Hiatus for the time being.

All reviews shall be used to polish Master Chief's helmet!


	3. Crow's Nest

Well, I'm back and ready for some more Halo action! Just let me remind you that I'm only fantasizing on what Halo 3 should have been like okay?

I don't own Halo 3.

* * *

**Crow's Nest**

"Sorry for the tight squeeze," the Crow's Nest Flight Controller apologized to the Pelican that was settling down on the landing pad. Things have been hectic for the UNSC ever since the Covenant invaded Earth. All military personal were scattered and formed resistance groups while Lord Hood's fleet was cut off from helping the besieged Earth; this base was one of the many that held hundreds of injured Marines that were no longer able to fight.

The Pelican, codenamed "Kilo 23" touched down on the landing pad, dropping off its cargo. Three Marines who were sitting on a huge crate near the landing pad silently observed those who were getting off the Pelican.

"Hey, check it out!" one of the Marines spoke in a hushed tone pointing out the Master Chief.

"No way! A Spartan!" his friend gasped in shock. The third Marine was blinded by injury, and had to have a bandaged head to mend the wounds looked around in confusion.

"For real? You better not be..." he said not convinced until his friend patted his back.

"No man. He's here! We're gonna be alright!"

The Chief meanwhile heard the Marines bickering and shook his head. He just wasn't that used to that much praise, even if he was being treated like a god. The Chief then snapped back to attention as Miranda Keyes emerged from the hangar door and came out onto the landing pad to greet the survivors from the rescue mission.

Miranda Keyes was the daughter of the late Jacob Keyes and a distinguished heroine in the UNSC. She was forced to confront accusations of nepotism due to her rapid rise in rank; she managed to rise to the rank of Commander before the First Battle of Earth and along with Johnson accompanied Chief to the Second Halo in order to hunt down the Prophet of Regret.

Keyes smiled at the Chief and shook his hand, "It's good to see you Chief."

"Likewise ma'am," the Spartan responded. The Commander then looked at Johnson asking him where he found Master Chief.

"I found him napping out back," Johnson replied, to which Keyes smiled.

"I'll bet," she said, and turned to Chief, "Let's get you up to speed."

The Commander than escorted the odd trio through the base, passing many wounded Marines who were lying around in the hallways. Two uninjured Marines who were chatting noticed the Commander approaching them saluted in respect, but lowered their hands and stared in astonishment at the Arbiter. It wasn't everyday you saw a friendly Elite walking the halls of Crow's Nest.

"The Prophet of Truth's ships breached the Lunar Perimeter. Smashed what was left of the Home fleet," Miranda explaining the current situation on Earth, "Terrestrial casualties from the subsequent bombardment were..." She paused and they parted, allowing Medics with a Marine on a stretcher to pass by, "...extreme. The Elites managed to send a fleet to aid us, we have the Arbiter to thank. Truth could have landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here, East Africa at the ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging."

"What about Halo?" the Chief asked as he, Johnson, the Arbiter and Miranda Keyes entered the main command center.

"We stopped it, but only temporarily. Now, the Prophet of Truth is looking for something called 'The Ark' where he will be able to activate all the Halo Rings. If he, succeeds, Humanity, the Covenant, every sentient being in the galaxy..."

"Halo will kill them all," the Chief concluded for her.

"Ma'am. I have Lord Hood," a Technician suddenly spoke up. The Commander nodded, "Patch him through."

Up on the main view screen appeared an image of a elderly man wearing a number of ribbons for his many deeds. Terrence Hood was a well-respected flag officer for the UNSC who helped win some of its most crucial battles. He was in charge of Earth's Home Fleet and defended in valiantly against the first wave of Covenant warships until Truth's dreadnought arrived to embolden the Covenant cause. He remained with what little remained of his fleet on Earth in hiding and launched counterattacks against the Brute occupation.

"Good news, Commander Keyes?" he asked his huge figure looking down at the female.

"As good as it gets sir," Miranda Keyes motioned to the Chief, bringing out a smile from the aged Admiral.

"So I see. What's your status, son?"

"Green, sir."

Lord Hood nodded, "That's good, because the Commander's come up with a good plan. But without you, I wasn't sure we could pull it off."

"Truth's ships are clustered above the excavation site, and his infantry has deployed Anti-Air Batteries around the perimeter," Keyes explained to the Chief, "But if we neutralize one of the batteries, punch a hole in Truth's defenses, we might stop him from firing the Halo rings."

"I'll initiate a low-level strike on the Dreadnought, hit Truth right where it hurts," Lord Hood gazed at Chief, "I only have a handful of ships left Chief, and most of them are cut off from giving us any aid. This is a huge risk we're taking, but I'm confident..." All of the sudden the entire room went dark, which brought out cries of astonishment from some of the Marines in the room.

"Ah hell, not again!" a Technician yelled.

"Emergency generators, now!" Keyes barked.

"Shielding failed. They're down and charging," the Technician reported.

"As soon as they're up, reestablish contact with Lord Hood. Let him know that-"

"You are, all of you, vermin!" a voice suddenly spoke out from the speakers. The screens were now back online, but it wasn't Hood... it was Truth himself. The Chief felt the Arbiter tense up beside him, no doubt their was bad blood between them.

Everyone in the room looked up in fascinated dread at the Prophet. It was a creature that looked physically frail and weak, with huge bulbous eyes and a huge head attached to a long neck to a body in a hover-chair, covered in a special headdress and wearing a decorative crown. However, beneath the seemingly feeble alien was a mastermind at work. Prophets were in fact, a very sinister race, deceptive and cunning and held the highest power in the Covenant. The Prophet before the screen happened to be the most treacherous of his kind: Truth.

Truth was the mastermind of the Covenant Civil War and was now the current leader of the Covenant. Despite the fact that he was originally with two other High Prophets who held equal power, he became the deciding factor in all issues. He then orchestrated a series of events that removed the two other High Prophets which led to the Civil War and the removal of the Elites. Many now regard Truth as "deluded, possibly insane" because of his actions.

"Cowering in the dirt, thinking...what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No!" Truth continued, his expression hardening as he spoke, "Your world will burn until its surface is nothing but glass! And not even your Demon will live to creep, blackened, from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage; the culmination of our journey," Truth pressed his hands slowly together. Chief could not help but mentally sigh when that Prophet had to call him by the nickname the Covenant gave him.

"...For your destruction is the will of the gods! And I? (Truth paused to mount even more tension and leaned forward on his throne) I AM their instrument!" The screen when offline and was replaced with the insignia of the UNSC as well as the power returned.

"Cocky bastard. Just loves to run his mouth," Johnson snorted.

"Does he usually mention me?" the Chief asked Keyes, who appeared to be deep in thought. Her head then snapped up and looked over to the Marine Technician.

"Give the order. We're closing shop," everyone in the room looked at the Commander, confused at her bold order.

"Ma'am?" the Marine Technician asked uncertainly.

"We're about to get hit."

The Technician nodded and called into a comlink, "All personnel. Defense Code Alpha."

"The wounded, we're gonna get them all out."

"Even if I have to carry them myself."

"Ma'am, squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?"

Keyes walks up the stairs and draws a pistol. She pulled the slide back before answering, "To war."

* * *

**Part I: Know your Role...**

Brute Chieftain Lepidus stared at the huge base that the little humans called 'Crows Nest.' He himself was in charge of the attack on the base, and personally oversaw the entire assault from the bridge of the CCS-class Battlecruiser.

On the tactical display he noticed a lot of Pelicans making their getaway, the Seraph fighters as well as a few dozen Banshees moved in to intercept the fleeing ships but were repulsed by the base defenses. Lepidus really wasn't any good in naval combat so he had to use the old Brute strategy by sending out basically all of his fighters to overwhelm the humans.

The huge Brute snarled as he remembered his earlier humiliation when he first attacked Earth. It was at a huge metropolis the humans called Berlin. Lepidus was in charge of a CCS-class Battlegroup that was sent by the order of his superiors to quell the resistance there. At first things were tipping to his favor. The Anti-Air defenses those wretched humans set up were destroyed and a successful assault on the city crushed the rebellion within, overall he had only taken the entire city in one day. But that was a false sense of security: the humans were not going down without a fight. Having captured two Phantoms after the assault, a small remainder of the human rebels stored bombs inside of the ships. A brave few of the rebels then piloted the Phantoms and managed to gain clearance from two of the battleships in Lepidus' group. Once they were inside the hanger, those damned humans set the bombs off creating shockwaves big enough to send the two CCS-class Battleships to the ground.

When his superiors heard what happened, they deemed him unworthy of leading a Battlegroup and assigned him to only one ship. His humiliation great, the Brute vowed he would have his revenge against the humans, starting with this base...

* * *

The Chief threw a plasma grenade at the Brute Captain with the Plasma Rifle, sticking it to the armor which was followed by an explosion of plasma. The Spartan was currently defending a hanger from the Covenant assault forces and so far everything was tilting in his favor. Kicking out at a Grunt who panicked too soon, the Chief released a salvo of bullets from his Battle Rifle at a cluster of Grunts and Jackals, thinning out their numbers.

"Why won't they just die?" a Marine complained as he emptied a entire magazine on a Brute's power armor to no effect. The Brute was angry, its armor sizzling showing it was nearly depleted, took out a Spike grenade and threw it.

"Here, catch!" It said as the Spike grenade sailed through the air and landed on the Marines head. The Marine screamed clawing uselessly at the grenade, but it was too late. The grenades explosion was powerful enough to rip open the Marines head and a cascade of blood and bone shot out drenching the deck with the headless corpse slumping lazily to the ground.

Seeing this wicked act of war was just enough to make the Chief's blood boil. He sprinted after the Brute, jumped on its back and twisted its head in a circle, effectively snapping the aliens neck. The Brute lay there twitching as blood escaped from its mouth, but the Spartan only turned his back on the dead Brute and rejoined the Marines fighting the remaining Covenant forces. Apparently the Chief wasn't the merciful type.

"Alright let's mop up the rest of these bastards!" a Marine shouted as he surveyed the hangar just to see a couple of Grunts running around leaderless.

"Wait, here comes another Phantom!" one of the Marines who was on the turret points out the approaching Covenant dropship.

"Great, what else are they gonna send at us? More cannon fodder?"

The Marine got his answer when the Phantom unloaded two huge creatures covered in blue armor each holding Assault Cannons. They were Hunters.

"Great," a Marine muttered right beside the Chief, "Just when things can't get any more fucked up."

The Hunters charged up their cannons and released a stream of green plasma at the Marines. Most of them dodged, but one got caught in the incendiary gel of the plasma. The Marine screeched as he fell to the floor thrashing as the gel burned away at his body, the movements soon slowed and the Marine was then still. A couple of grenades were tossed, but the Hunters managed to avoid being caught in the blast radius by using their shields to block the grenades explosion.

The Chief immediately sprang into action. He started to fire short controlled bursts at the Hunters using Brute Spikers as he dual-wielded them. The Hunters had powerful armor however, and managed to shrug off most of the damage thrown at them. A Marine was using a turret against the Hunters, and the turret was proving most effective, since it had armor-piercing bullets. The huge aliens realized they would be done for if they didn't do something about the turret, so they focused all their fire on the Marine. Two huge plasma beams strafed forward, killing the Marine and kicking the turret off its stand. The Chief then knew he had to get close and personal.

He launched himself at the huge, towering creatures firing rapidly catching their attention. The Hunters paused long enough for the Marines to fire back. The Hunters were caught in a crossfire, but they immediately adapted to the situation and parted, one would go for the Master Chief while the other would take care of the Marines. The Chief saw the Hunter towering over him, it raised its shielded arm in hopes to smash the Spartan, but the Chief easily evaded and saw the opportune moment to strike: the Hunters back. Wasting no time, the Chief threw a Spike grenade at the Hunters unprotected flesh. The grenade stuck and it exploded in a shower of spikes penetrating the wriggling mass of parasitic aliens that controlled the towering monstrosity causing it to grunt and tumble down dead. The other Hunter, seeing its partner dead let out a furious growl and diverted its attention from the few remaining Marines at the Master Chief.

"I have him sir!" a Marine yelled picking up the turret and began to fire relentlessly on the Hunters back. The force of the bullets was powerful enough to shatter a huge section of the Hunters back armor off, exposing much of its flesh. The Hunter let out a groaning roar and did a 180- degree turn and fired a huge plasma beam at the Marines. The Chief, now seeing the back of the Hunter a huge target hard to miss, picked up a Brute shot and fired three times on the fleshy part of the Hunter. This attack proved fatal to the monster and it crumbled to the ground, too injured to sustain any more attacks.

"Yeah, that bastard is finally dead!" one of the few Marines cheered, happy that the battle for the hangar was finally over. The Chief meanwhile was looking out of the hangar at the CCS-class Battleship that was in charge of the attack, it was pouring out everything in its disposal.

The fight for Crow's Nest still had a long way to go.

* * *

The Landing pad shook due to the continuous barrage of Covenant artillery. A Marine stumbled as the Landing pad shook yet again and hit something solid. He looked up to find he ran into the Arbiter.

"Sorry, sorry," the Marine mumbled hastily as he scrambled to the Pelican holding its fair share of wounded.

Recently things had become more complicated due to the fact that most of the hangars were now in complete control by Covenant forces. After much coaxing, Miranda Keyes reluctantly had to evacuate even though she wanted to make sure every single wounded Marine was out safely, plus she lost contact with the Barracks.

"Still no contact from the barracks ma'am?" a Marine Technician observing Keyes on the Landing Pad control.

"Nothing, the Intercom is still up but all I hear is silence," she confessed and lowered her head, "I'm afraid we're to late."

"Don't discourage," the two looked up to see the Arbiter at the doorway, "Even though the Brutes may be savage by nature, they are no strangers to interrogation. There is a chance some may still be alive."

"He's right," Keyes looked up at the Technician,"Patch me up with Johnson, I need to know how he is doing with the 'present' we have for the Brutes. Also, send a squad down to the Barracks to see if there is any survivors."

"That won't be necessary," the Arbiter interrupted, "I shall go."

The Commander looked at the Elite, "Are you sure?"

"My people have waged war against Humankind for many years, and so much damage has been done. It is right for me to make amends."

Keyes was silent for a moment, but nodded, "If you say so, just try to hook up with the Chief."

The Arbiter then left as silently as he came.

* * *

**Part II: Gift with Purchase**

"If I try to set up a timer, it might go off by itself," Stacker said to one of the Technicians working on the huge bomb in the Main Command Center. The Technician nodded and turned to Johnson.

"The timer is out of the question, sir."

"Then that means we're on guard duty."

The Chief soon entered the room carrying a detached turret along with him. Johnson who was watching over the progress, looked at the Chief his eyes widening when he was the turret.

"Just in case for the bigger ones," the Chief explained, referring to either Hunters or high-ranking Brutes. Johnson nodded in acknowledgement.

"Johnson," Keyes said from the Main view screen.

"Mmmm hmm?"

"You might want to put that out."

Johnson grumbled as he dropped his cigar and stamped on it. The UNSC did not want an accident caused by smoking.

"Chief, have a look," Keyes motioned to the bomb, "A little going away gift for the Covenant. We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson, soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."

"Understood."

"Good luck everyone, see you on the last Pelican out," Keyes ended with the Main screen switching off.

"Chief, I have a little assignment for you," Johnson said to the Spartan, "Follow me."

The Chief trailed the Battle-hardened Sergeant to the back of the room, with a door being guarded intently by four Marines.

"The Brutes have taken the barracks,"Johnson explained, "Marines are trapped inside. Those apes ain't much for mercy, Chief. We both know what they do to prisoners."

"Don't worry," the Chief said as he added another clip to his Assault Rifle, "I'll save as much as possible, and bring them to the Landing Pad for evac."

Carrying the detached turret, the Chief entered through the door to confront the Brutes. Going through a corridor, the Chief opened another door to find himself in the Motor Pool. At the other end there were Brutes being lead by a Chieftain with a Gravity Hammer.

_"Damn, I really need a sniper for this one," _the Chief thought. The best way to take out a powerhouse like the Brute Chieftan was a couple of well-placed rounds from a sniper rifle, which the Chief didn't have right now. It looks like he had to do it the old-fashioned way.

The Chief slowly crept forward towards the Brutes, who for now did not notice their approaching target. But even if they could not see him. they could still smell. The Brute Chieftain sniffed the air and growled.

"A fresh scent! Must be close..."

That was when the Master Chief struck! Throwing out a plasma grenade, it stuck to a Brute Captains armor, alerting the other Brutes. An explosion soon followed, leaving the targeted Brute without its protective shielding. The Chief was flabbergast: that Brute survived a plasma explosion?! That armor was tougher than it looked.  
The Chief whipped out his Battle Rifle and fired a few rounds into the Brute's head killing it. The other Brutes by now were furious and already had their weapons out. Realizing he would get caught out in the open, the Chief threw out a deployable cover shield. It was similar to the stationary Shield generator that was usually a common sight the Covenant had out, except this one can be deployed anywhere making it an effective combat tool.

The two Brute Minors were enraged that the Demon took out the captain so easily, they advanced slowly firing their Spikers. The Chief took cover from the spikes that thudded against the shield, and jumped out to fire a salvo of bullets at the Brutes. One lost its armor and its life while the other went for cover behind a huge crate. The Chief looked up ahead to see the Brute Chieftain and some Brutes in blue armor standing their ground, obviously wanting to see if they could get an opening on the Chief.

Some sixth sense warned the Chief to look behind him; he did and saw a Brute minor he wasn't able to finish off. Taking hold of his Battle Rifle the Chief placed a few rounds into the Brutes head killing it. Another two Brute Minors appeared from their cover and began to fire, but the Chief reacted quickly and used his Assault Rifle to take out their shields, then the Battle Rifle for a precise and quick kill.

Whether Brutes could somehow sense each other through instinct or communication was unknown to Chief, because four more Brutes appeared from where the Chieftain and his two Bodyguards were standing, two of them carrying Carbines.

_"Shit, I really need a sniper rifle," _the Chief thought as he took out another Brute Minor and went back for cover. The Brutes realized that they would not be able to kill the Demon unless they took out its cover. At the order of the Chieftain, the two sniper Brutes fired at the base of the Deployable Cover destroying it. Swearing, the Chief dodged another hail of carbine fire and took shelter behind a storage crate. The Chief was in a tight spot: either he could go back and defend his position from the doorway and hope the Chieftain didn't charge him there, or he could stay where he was and try to hold his position. Either way he could die.

Looking around for any other alternative, he spotted what appeared to be a portable gravity lift. He heard about it while in a briefing at Cairo Station when the UNSC captured enemy intel. The Chief looked above him at the Second-level of the Motor Pool. If he could get up there he might have a chance. Taking the Gravity Lift he threw it a few feet away from him. As it hit the ground it opened up and and stream of purplish-blue energy shot out and stayed in place. The Chief then jumped into the beam and was propelled into the air and landed on the ledge.

The Brutes were surprised, but only for a moment; they charged up onto the ledge to bring down the Chief. The Spartan needed cover, so he ran into a small room to his right where ammo was waiting. Picking up a Shotgun, the Chief knew it would be close quarters from now on. A Brute soon appeared right at the entrance to the room yelling, "Found him!" but was cut down by three shots from the Chief.

Before the Chief could even reload, another Brute appeared with the Carbine firing wildly. The Chief took cover and then returned fire, two successive shots was all he needed to destroy the protective layer of armor. Suddenly the Brute Chieftain appeared at the doorway taking the Chief by surprise. The high-ranking Brute let out a feral yell and swung its hammer. The Chief just dodged in time before the hammer could take him out, and just as an added bonus the Brute with the Carbine was caught in the swing and was knocked halfway across the room, its body lying in an awkward position.

The Chief realized he was no longer safe where he was, leaped off the second level and took shelter behind a now blackened storage crate.

"We shall feast upon your flesh!" the Brute Chieftain proclaimed waving its Gravity Hammer and charged down the ramp.

The Chief then dived for the detached turret near the entrance to the motor pool. Bearing it on the Chieftain, the Spartan let loose a huge barrage of bullets at the Chieftain. The commanding Brute stumbled back after being hit by enough bullets, causing its shields to drop. Swearing and spitting, the Brute still kept on charging, causing the Chief to fall back to the corridor. Looking behind him, the Chief saw the sealed door behind him. If he didn't take out the Chieftain, his guts would be splattered against it!

In desperation, the Chief kept up the continuous assault on the Brute that just did not want to die. Then the Brute was upon him. It lifted its hammer for one mighty hit, and fell down dead! The Spartan stood over the now deceased Chieftain trying to catch his breath. This was probably one of the closest times he came to dying so far in his military career; the others he could name on the top of his head. He then heard a couple of the remaining Brutes calling out for the Brute Chieftain, wondering if he emerged victorious from his battle. The Spartan smirked and could not help but mock the smelly beasts.

"Who's next in line?"

* * *

Davis Goldfarb grunted as he tried to move from under the weight of the dead Brute. He considered himself lucky he managed to survive the attack on the barracks, but for some damn reason the Brute kept on charging if it already knew it was dead. The Marine continued to struggle until the body was finally lifted off of him; he wanted to thank whoever helped him out, but to his shock it was another Brute.

"Look, another one still breathes!" It rasped dragging Davis by the collar.

Davis tried with all his might to wretch himself free, but could do no such thing as the Brutes grip was too strong. He soon found himself huddled along with his comrades into a corner that served as the lunch booth. Looking over the captive Marines, the Brute snorted indecisively and turned to its packmate right next to it.

"Is this all that is left?"

"Yes, barely a mouthful for our entire pack."

"No matter, I was hungry anyway. They'll have to do!"

A few Marines stared in mute horror at hearing their possible fate: being eaten alive by these apes? No one could fathom anything else worse right now!

Another Brute soon scrambled up to the other two panting for air, "We have to defend this position! The Demon and the Arbiter have infiltrated this wretched place and are intent on stealing our prize!"

The Brutes immediately halted and stood at attention. Further down the hall there was bullets ricocheting and howling; a few Brutes already began to find defensive positions while one of the Brutes who was watching over their prisoners ran over to the Chieftain.

"The Demon and its pet are right on our doorstep! What are your orders?"

"Hold your position, we will not allow the bastard to fight another day!" the Chieftain hissed. Davis could not help but smirk, the Brutes were obviously not the best tacticians and planners, which made them more easier to combat and to thwart. But there was one thing that was bugging him: who was the Arbiter?

He got his answer when the two rescuers rounded the corner, weapons blazing. The Marines were overjoyed to see the Master Chief, the great Spartan in his green battered armor holding out his Assault Rifle. But the other being who was assisting the Chief made Davis' blood run cold: it was an Elite.

_"But why?" _Davis thought numbly. He was shocked and furious, why would Earth's sole savior be fighting alongside that creature? The Human-Covenant war was basically fought between mainly two species: Humans and Sangheili. From Harvest to the Second Battle of Earth the Elites had always been part of the fight, the other species of the Covenant did not matter.

Davis was still paralyzed and in place even when the Chief finally broke through the Brute battle lines, even when the remaining Brutes started firing his way. He was soon brought to consciousness when one of his teammates shook him and brought Davis to his feet.

"Up on your feet Davis, we need to asist the Chief and his Elite buddy," the Marine yelled at him thrusting into his hands a Brute Spiker. Davis glared at his ally who didn't seem to notice, but joined the fight nonetheless. Davis paused a moment to look at the Arbiter who was taking cover behind a pillar. He sneered at the alien, wishing he had its head right now because it would be best to have one less Elite in this galaxy!

The remaining Brutes that invaded the barracks were now surging forward in an attempt to drive their opponents back, the Marines though reacted instantly to this by laying suppressive fire. One Brute went as far as two berserk all of the sudden holding two spike grenades and charge headlong into the Marines taking with it as many as it could, but thankfully the Chief realized the aliens intention and shot it in the soft tissue of the neck dropping the insane Brute causing the grenades to go off sending spikes off clattering harmlessly against the barrack walls. The Brute Chieftain went out with a blast, having its armor knocked gave the Chief the opportunity to throw a plasma grenade which stuck to its face. The Brute clawed at the blue orb frantically trying to scrape it off but it was no good, the Chieftain face was no longer recognizable and neither was its body when the grenade went off. The remaining Brutes were taken care of posthaste, leaving the victory to Humanity.

Davis looked around to only see him and three others managed to survive the battle, one of them being Sergeant Reynolds who looked over the entire barracks before sighing and turning to the Master Chief and the Arbiter.

"You did the best you could sir. Let's move the survivors up to the landing pad, there is an elevator just outside," he said opening the door he was in front of. Davis silently fumed at the Sergeant's statement. Many of the Marines who died at the barracks were his friends! What good was their sacrifice?

He remained silent as he and the survivors moved alongside the Chief and the Arbiter making their way to the elevator. They reached it after passing through multiple corridors, the Chief activating the lift to carry all of them topside. While they got in, the communicator in the Spartans helmet squawked to live.

"Commander," it was Johnson on the other end, "We lost the ops center. Brutes attacked in force, they've disarmed the bomb."

Everyone present in the elevator felt that familiar sting of dismay. With that bomb disarmed, there was going to be fewer Covenant casualties and the possibility of the Covenant hacking into the UNSC network.

"We're falling back to the landing pad, but don't wait for us," Johnson continued as blaster fire could be heard on the other end the communicator.

"What should I do ma'am," Hocus' voice spoke up to Keyes on the communicator.

"Hold position! I'm not leaving without him!"

The Chief looked over at the Arbiter who clacked its mandibles together. The communicator blared once again to life, alerting those within hearing range.

"Ma'am I've got movement, above and below. Brutes, they have jump-packs," Hocus reported.

_"Flying Brutes?" _Davis thought sullenly, _"When will this day stop getting anymore fucked up?"_

"They're going after the thrusters. Shake them off, Lieutenant!" Commander Keyes ordered. As the escapees from the barracks reached the floor, Kilo 23 took off leaving the Brutes behind. The Chief immediately went into action and ran toward an unsuspecting Brute and fired his Shotgun knocking off its shielding and killing it. The other Brutes were caught off guard at the sudden appearance of the fabled 'Demon', so there was a moments pause before their brains kicked into gear. The pause was all the Chief needed as he brought out his Battle Rifle and fired a couple rounds into the nearest Brutes skull causing the huge fur-bag to fall in spasms. The other Brutes roared curses and fired their plasma rifles and spikers at the Spartan who dodged and weaved through the firefight.

The Marines not wanting to miss out in the action began to return fire on the Brutes who were easy targets out in the open. The Arbiter himself joined the Chief in the slaughter of the Brutes decimating their ranks including the reinforcements. The battle on the landing pad was a ferocious fight , as cascades of sparks flew from the Jump-packs when they were blown apart taking out the Brutes as well.

When the battle finally did end, Brute corpses were strewn around the landing pad setting a grisly atmosphere of death. Davis spat at on of the Brutes with a slightly gaping mouth, "Serves these load of bastards right," he said to himself more than to those around him. Below the landing pad on a road that was used to ferry supplies in the base a huge door that opened to the vehicle access. Johnson and his surviving squad appeared fending off a small number of Drones. The Chief and the Arbiter ran down to assist moping them up.

After the fight, Kilo 23 once again settled down onto the Landing pad for the final evac for the barrack survivors and Johnson's squad.

"The Brutes overwhelmed us Commander. There was too many, even for me," Johnson apologized as he boarded the Pelican. Miranda Keyes lowered her head for a moment and sat straight back up.

"Chief, would it be possible for your to infiltrate the Ops Center and reactivate the bomb?"

"I could try, but will I make it out of here in time?"

"I'll find you an exit as soon as the bomb is activated," Keyes answered and then addressed the Arbiter, "The Elites that have been sent to help us are in a tight situation. They have been cut off from our main force and are trying to break through Brute lines, they need your help Arbiter."

_"What?! There is more of those bastards here?" _Davis was enraged. What were the Elites here helping for? Did they all of a sudden had a change of heart?

Davis then got unto the Pelican and sat down between two other Marines named Marcus and Felix. He hardly knew them, but the two somehow managed to keep a positive attitude even when the enemy was right at their doorstep. The Arbiter sat across from Davis right next to Johnson, which made Davis even more angry, so angry that he couldn't even feel the Pelican lift off to make its getaway. What kind of person would want to sit right next to an Elite? The sour Marine looked outside to see the air was now mostly in control by the UNSC, the Covenant forces had only scattered remains of their air force left making escaping much more easier.

"Hey, didn't you get a good look at that Chieftan's Gravity Hammer?" Marcus asked Felix who nodded.

"Yeah. That would have made Thor shit in his loincloth!" The two shared a good laugh.

Davis still stared at the Arbiter and was as unforgiving as ever, _"Just you wait creature, soon all of those lives you have taken will be avenged."_

* * *

**Part III: Last One Out, Get The Lights**

"Success Holy One, we have taken their command center!" the Brute Chieftain announced bowing before the Prophet of Truth on the main view screen. It was a hard and dangerous struggle, but the Brutes had finally managed to capture the large room and deactivate the bomb. All around lay the bodies of Marines and Brutes, signifying the large battle that took place. But the Prophet himself was not an easy one to please.

"Have you discovered what they know of the Ark?" Truth asked raising his eyebrows. The Brute Chieftain visibly flinched, he and his subordinates had not made a careful search of the area and were basically idling about.

"Not just yet, Noble Prophet," the Chieftain stated nervously feeling insecure under Truth's gaze. The Prophet was a very powerful creature, he had a aura of mystery around him and was a mystery even to his closest followers. Needless to say, Truth wasn't that pleased.

"Find out what I need to know, or your place on the path is in forfeit. Do not fail me."

"Y-yes Holy one, it shall be done."

When Truth disconnected from the screen, the Chieftain once again had more the highest authority. He turned to his followers and barked out orders.

"Have the Drones scour these machines! Find out what these heathens know about the Ark!!" at this command the four Grunts and two Brute Captains went to their anointed tasks. The Brute Chieftain meanwhile looked over the bomb, to his eyes it was hastily made to give the humans a Pyrrhic victory.

A few gunshots suddenly snapped the Brute Chieftain out of his thoughts and he swerved around to see one of the Brute Captains tumbling down the stairs dead.

"An intruder!" the Chieftain howled out a warning and everyone in the room was now alert. The Chieftain looked up above behind him at the Brute Minor on the second-floor operating a Plasma Cannon,"We need covering fire! Find the bastard who dares to challenge us!"

"It's stuck!" the last Brute Captain yelled out as it was trying to shake off a plasma grenade caught on its right foot. The Chieftain watched in dismay as the Captain was blown away by the blast hitting the wall with a sickening thud. The Grunts were now a little frightened after seeing how easily the two Brutes were taken care off and close to panicking.

"You maggots! Find that bastard!" the Chieftain roared at the shivering cluster of Grunts, "Or I'll have you wrung out and left behind!" That threat was all the small aliens needed to frighten them to obey. However, as they walked up the stairs they were each taken out individually providing easy targets for the unknown assailant. Swearing a great deal, the Chieftain lifted its Fuel Rod Cannon and began to fire huge plasma projectiles that began to tear up the position the intruder was hiding at.

The foe was then revealed as it broke from cover, and it turned out to be none other than Master Chief.

"I should have known it was the Demon!" the Brute Chieftain cried, "Only he could have killed so many! Come you heathen, let me turn you into mangled flesh!" He then fired some more forcing the Chief to take cover once more.

The Spartan realized that he would soon be a smoking corpse for eventually run out of cover since the Fuel Rod Cannon had enough power to destroy a Warthog in one blow. He then looked above him at the huge brown pipe on the ceiling. His mind thinking quickly, he sprung from cover and fired a few rounds to deter the Brute, then jumped onto a burnt metal rack and grabbed onto a pipe above and swung himself on top of the large pipe. The Chieftain began to fire at the large pipe, burning holes through the metal releasing ventilated air. Everything was then silent for the moment as the Brute surveyed the damage he caused. There was no movement, it was possible the Demon was dead.

He was proven wrong when huge plasma rounds tore through him. The Chieftains eyes widened, "By the Fist of Rukt!" and fell forward dead.

The Chief got off the plasma turret and jumped down to the bomb. Looking over the control console he activated the bomb. After a few seconds a bunch of small explosions followed throughout the base shaking the very ground the Chief stood upon.

"Great work Chief, the bomb is activated!" Miranda Keyes praised the Spartan on his comlink.

"We got your exit. A service elevator in the hangar. Just head downstairs and cut through the caves!" Johnson spoke up.

"Roger that," Chief replied and closed connection. He then did as he was told and sprinted down the corridors, where he entered the caves with a bunch of Grunts running around in panic and disarray.

_"There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead."_

The Chief shook his head as Cortana once again floated through his subconscious. _Not now._

Even though he was a battle-hardened soldier, the Chief missed Cortana's presence inside his head. She might have been a bit overbearing at times and sometimes annoying, but she was like his conscience and close friend. With her around he had someone to talk to and support him, he needed that kind of company after he lost many of his fellow Spartans on Reach and Cortana had been that company.

"I must be insane," Chief scorned himself, "First I'm with an Elite and now I'm receiving visions, what the hell is going on?"

The Chief though still continued on, passing through the Vehicle Access and taking out a couple of Grunts who decided to fight back. It was then that the Chief managed to reach the hangar were the Covenant was evacuating its few remaining infantry. A Phantom was pulling out of the hangar leaving behind a bunch of Grunts screaming for the transport to not leave them behind. There was also a few Jackals that were left as well and were determined to take the Master Chief with them; they then began to rally the Grunts who finally came to their senses and began to shoot their plasma pistols at the Covenant's greatest adversary.

The Chief cursed and returned fire with his Battle Rifle taking out the Grunts who decided to fight back, the Jackals were a more complicated problem as they had their energy shields up and protecting them. He could hit them through the slots from which the Jackals fired, but time was running out. The Spartan then knew he had to think of something and fast. Taking a quick look at his opponents, he saw how the Jackals were all fighting close together.

Immediately the Chief knew this was his chance.

One of the Jackals was moving in front spotted a plasma grenade flying towards him and his pack. He issued a warning to his comrades but it came too late when the grenade latched onto one of the shields. All the Jackals were caught in the explosion that followed. The Chief then raced towards the service elevator shrugging of the few plasma bolts from the remaining Grunts and Jackals. The entire base started to shake even more violently, signifying the detonation was almost complete.

Running into the elevator, the Chief slammed his fist against the side panel to activate it. The door started to close, but stopped halfway. A explosion followed, bigger than the previous ones, and the Chief leaped back to the far side of the Service elevator as flames flickered through the gap in the door.

_"This place will become your home."_

The elevator finally started to descend. The Chief was about to take a breather, until a massive boom shook the elevator and disconnected it sending it plummeting to the ground. It was that when everything went dark when the elevator hit rock bottom...

_"This place will become your tomb."_

* * *

Just to let you all know, this chapter was painfully hard to finish. But I managed to work it out and now you can read and review as much as you like! By the way you might want to know more about the Brute Power Armor. I've made changes to it like for example, it can now regenerate like an Elite's (until you completely destroy it then that Brute is an easier kill). For instance, a Brute Major's power shield is as strong as a Elite Minors energy shield.

**Power Armor Strength Levels  
**Brute infantry equals Elite Minor  
Brute Captains equal Elite Major (a Brute Captain Ultra's shielding is as strong as a SpecOps Elite)  
Brute Bodyguard and Honor Guard equals Elite Major  
Brute Stalker and Jumppack equals Elite Minor  
Brute Chieftain equals Elite Ultra (the shielding on the power armor is as strong as a Zealot, but the protective layer gives enough coverage for the Chieftain to wreck havoc on the field)

Did I make Halo 3 any more harder? Let me know!

**Changes on Crow's Nest in Halo 3 Remastered Edition  
**-You will face two Hunters in the hangars(Easy, Normal, Heroic and Legendary)  
-The Brute reinforcements in the Motor Pool will be four Brute Captain Ultras dual-wielding Plasma Rifles and Spikers(Legendary only)

All reviews will be used to give the Brutes a shower!


	4. Tsavo Highway

Attention all readers, I have an announcement to make! Due to my father and his inability to provide my family with the fun and attention when working, he has decided to take us all on a business trip to Bermuda, which I have to add is sweet! But the problem is that I may have to cut my work hours short due to the fact there will be hardly any time to update.

I also would like to thank exiled-druid for pointing out a mistake I made in Crow's Nest so I managed to fix it, always keep your chapter open for changes!

On the other hand, I would like to thank LeoLupin and Kaiser Spartan for adding this story to their favorites list, that really means a lot to me!

I don't own Halo.

* * *

**Tsavo Highway**

**Part I: Full Contact Safari**

Darkness and fire.

That was what the Chief woke up seeing; he found himself lying spread out on cold-hard metal surrounded by whispering flames. His vision was a bit blurry and unfocused at first, did something just happen? Then like a wave crashing down on him the Chief recalled what had happened. Pushing himself off the floor he waited as his vision started to clear up a bit more. The Chief was in a darkened room, possibly a underground storage with a couple of Marines in critical condition. One of the Marines who was being tended by his comrade winced as pressure was applied to his wound.

"Stop pushing too hard, I've got a broken rib!" he complained to his fellow Marine.

"Hey, wanna bleed out?"

"No."

"Then I gotta keep pressure on the wound."

On the other side of the wrecked elevator in the underground vehicle maintenance bay, a Marine Sergeant appeared to try to handle the situation.

"Settle down Marines! Somebody hit the emergency power," he coughed just to clear the smoke from his lungs.

"On it Sergeant," one of the Marines dutifully ran over to a power switch and activated it, causing a few lights to pop back on.

The Master Chief and all able-bodied Marines then formed up around the Sergeant in the maintenance bay. The Sergeant looked over them and nodded, "Alright, this will do. The situation is dire, I can't reach the commander from where we are right now which means we have to move to higher ground and get the hell outta these caves."

"What about the wounded?" the Chief asked causing the Marines to turn to him.

"We'll have to try to fit as many of them in the remaining Warthogs as we possibly can," the Sergeant answered, "Everyone bring the wounded to the M831 Troop Transports, get in as many as you can."

The Marines then ran about to complete their objectives, dragging and often carrying the wounded to the Troop Transports. The Chief found himself cradling a deeply-injured Marine to one of the overloaded Troop Transports.

"Sir, there's hardly any room for us," one of the helping Marines complained as he got onto the Troop Transport amidst the wounded Marines.

"Then you'll just have to make the best of it won't ya'?" the Sergeant grumbled turned to a Marine standing next to him, "Open the door, we're rolling out."

* * *

An Elite SpecOps had his back against the ruins of a restaurant of New Mombasa, his chest heaving due to the wound it received from a volley of spikes. All around him he could hear cries and howls echoing around him. The Sangheili peeked from his cover to witness the remaining group of Brutes scouring the area for any more Marines to kill. It had been a hard-fought battle, the humans were outnumbered three to one against the Brutes and they put up a honorable fight until the Brutes broke through their lines slaughtering the remaining defenders of Earth. The Sangheili in hiding grew to honour the humans for their determination and skill in battle, and also admired their audacity and courage.

This Sangheili's name was N'tho 'Sraom, a young and ambitious warrior in his caste who managed to make it to the Covenant Special Operations just before the civil war within the Covenant began. He was one of the many Elites who refused to stand idly by while the Prophets handed the Brutes a more powerful status, and for the rest of his life bore resentment towards the Prophets and their corrupt policies. Sent to Earth to give aid to Humanity in its time of need, N'tho had been sent on multiple missions and battles which proved hazardous and almost suicidal. So far he had made it through all that was thrown at him, but now N'tho wasn't sure if he would survive this mission.

"Find any Human or Elite that still breathe and thrash them!" the Brute Captain yelled out to his squad of bloodthirsty warriors, as more of them searched the plaza the humans had made their final stand. Cursing under his breath, he crouched down and activated his Active Camouflage to avoid the bestial Brutes. This mission he was given was a risky counterattack against Truth's forces by clearing his presence from this ruined metropolis, New Mombasa, to set a staging area for the Marines. N'tho couldn't help but feel that he failed the Humans as well as his people.

Taking cover behind what the humans called a Soda machine, N'tho began to think of ways he could turn the situation right now to his favor. Things however did not go as he planned when a Jackal Sniper spotted him, calling out in its native tongue to the Brute pack. N'tho cursed out loud and dashed from his hiding as multiple shots rang out and destroyed the Soda machine.

"Look at it! Running away in battle; I thought the Elites were brave fighters!" the Brute Captain called out mockingly to get an edge out of N'tho, which it did. Growling angrily the SpecOps Elite took out its plasma pistol and let out a charged shot, knocking its protective shielding off. 'Sraom immediately dropped his current weapon and held out his Carbine that was strapped to his back. A couple of shots was all it took to melt the Brute Captains face away.

The leaderless Brutes screamed with rage, some of them taking cover behind the ruins while a select few completely lost it and charged N'tho in a berserk fury.

The young Elite had his Carbine ready and released multiple beams of plasma on the berserk Brutes, unfortunately those Brutes had their shields still on and they were unharmed. Realizing the tight situation he was in, N'tho moved deeper into the ruins until he was backed up against the wall of a department store that was barely holding itself up. If he was going to make his final stand here, so be it.

It seemed as though the Brutes would be adding another meal to their bellies, until a Warthog appeared out of nowhere landing on top of the charging Brutes.

Before the Brutes had a chance to reorient themselves, the Warthog was already upon them with its mounted turret tearing through their armor. N'tho then could make out the two Marines on the Warthog who were taking care of business. The loud and obnoxious Marine on the turret was named Bunte, who was cheering at the moment.

"Yeah, ain't payback a bitch!" he laughed as he mowed down the remaining hostiles.

"Keep your cool Bunte, we still have to take on Truth himself," the driver of the vehicle, a Lieutenant barked over the machine gun.

"Sorry sir, they had it coming!"

N'tho then chose to reveal himself, he stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight calling out, "Wait!" to stop them from leaving. The Lieutenant jumped a little but soon realized who it was.

"Well at least we're not alone. You look like you could use some treatment for that wound there, what's your name?"

"N'tho 'Sraom of the SpecOps division, I came here to lend you some assistance," 'Sraom did his best to stop his wound from bleeding profusely. The Lieutenant nodded and turned to Bunte.

"Try to do something about that wound soldier, I'll try to radio command for some support," the Lieutenant looked around the battleground and shook his head sadly when he saw the cluster of dead Marine bodies, "A shame, did they give it their all?"

"They fought honorably and took many with them," N'tho assured him as he sat on a rocky ledge waiting as Bunte got out a medpac,"How is our current situation in retaking the city?"

"Actually it is going pretty damn well; we have already eliminated the Brute garrison near the Mombasa Orbital Elevator...or what was left of it," the Lieutenant dialed a few buttons on the Warthog, "Most of the elevator is strewn across the savanna." Bunte then finished applying the touches to the bandaged wound and saluted to the Lieutenant.

"Wound is pressed, covered, and no longer exposed sir!"

"Terrific," the Lieutenant replied half of his attention on the radio frequency. After a few seconds the Lieutenant looked over at N'tho, "Your leader the Arbiter is requesting that every available Elite is to head over to Voi to 'cleanse' it. Are you ready for airlift?"

N'tho stood up, the medications causing the wound to feel like a distant memory, "Yes, I'm ready."

* * *

**Part II: The Broken Path**

The Chief was now on foot as he traversed the bridge he was on, forced to abandon his Warthog when a huge gap prevented its passage. The Chief basically had to clamber on across broken beams and pipes just to get across with the Marines following him. The Spartan then stared out at the storm hovering over the humongous crater miles away from where he was. He also saw how Truth's ship that was an Eiffel Tower lookalike right in the middle of the crater seemed to be the cause of the peculiar weather.

"Look at the size of that thing! I wonder how old it is?" one of the Marines exclaimed with awe at the ship in the storm.

"Its probably as old as the Rings. Mark my words," the Chief spoke, then continued down the highway focusing on his mission.

The Comlink in the Chief's helmet crackled to life and Miranda Keyes' voice broke through the static, "Master Chief? Finally, a good connection. Truth has excavated a Forerunner Artifact. We have to assume it's the Ark."

The Chief however had his doubts. Their had to be something bigger to the Forerunners, it just didn't seem right they would place the Ark here on Earth were the Halo's could reach with the blast radius.

"Keep pushing to the town of Voi, Chief," that was Johnson, "Resupply birds will meet you in the next valley."

"Roger that."

* * *

If you were a Marine who was pinned down by Covenant firepower in some godforsaken valley with no escape and the only way to survive is to hold your position in some makeshift camp that was set up for defense against any extra-terrestrial invaders, you're screwed. The same Marines found themselves in the same position, under heavy fire and driven up against the hillside trying to keep their limbs intact.

One Marine was far more observant than the others. He was currently scanning the area for any more hostiles until he spotted the Chief.

"Hey guys! The Chief is here, everything is going to be alright!" he shouted, and his news brightened up the day as his proclamation was met with cheers and whoops.

The Chief moved like a graceful predator on the battlefield, dodging plasma and shooting. The Brutes were caught offguard, now having to fight the fabled Demon and the Marine resistance. Their defenses fell as the Chief took out the Brute Captains leading the pack and mopped up any lesser Brutes and Grunts. With the fighting over the Chief was greeted with cheers from the ragged Marines.

"What happened to your squad?" the Chief asked a female Marine who was currently in charge.

"Ambushed sir, they took out our convoy. We few managed to hold here until you arrived," she explained.

"And we might have to hold out just a bit longer, there are Phantoms inbound!" the Marine Sniper reported pointing out the ominous Covenant transport heading towards them.

"Everybody, back to your positions! This fight isn't over yet!" the commanding officer yelled out. Without hesitation the bedraggled Marines took defensive positions on the hillside, yet again in for the fight of their lives.

"Somebody plant some mines on the slope, we need to stall them until reinforcements arrive!" the female yelled firing at the approaching threat. The Brutes each gave off a guttural yell and charged the hillside, their Spikers and Shots tearing up the defenses. The Marines held their ground and returned suppressive fire, with the female Marine yelling out encouragement.

Nevertheless the Brutes still continued upward until they reached the final ledge on the hill. They immediately threw out Bubble Shields and took cover behind any wreckage. The female nodded as she analyzed the situation.

"Good, we managed to halt their advance. But we need a miracle to stay alive," she then gasped when a couple of green bolts flew towards her which would be the last thing she ever saw.

"Goddammit, they have a Fuel Rod Gun!" one of the Marines howled. The Chief was already on the Heavy Machine Gun Turret taking out the Brutes from a distance. The Machine Gun Turret was an excellent weapon, it had armor-piercing rounds which could even break open a Wraith's protective layer. The Brutes tried to find as much cover as possible after a good number of them were killed. Their weapons chewed out short bursts back at the Marines, some unsuccessfully were aimed at the Chief who was a great distance away on the turret. The Chief soon found what he was looking for: the Brute Chieftain with the Fuel Rod Gun. Swinging the turret he unleashed a merciless barrage on the Chieftain, knocking it over sideways. It however was not dead.

Roaring furiously, the Chieftain charged forwards in some-sort of a shuffled pace. The Brute appeared to be limping. The Marines took the opportunity and let out a stream of bullets concentrated at the injured foe. One lucky round from a Battle Rifle finally dropped it. Enemy fire then slackened. Had the Brutes lost faith or were they giving them a false sense of security? Whatever it was, many of the Marines believed they had finally triumphed.

"Careful you damn fools!" one Marine who was higher in rank yelled, "Stay low, you're making yourselves easy targets!"

Sure enough a bunch of spikes flew out from some wreckage and cut down a Marine who was previously cheering. The Chief saw where the spikes came from and reacted on instinct. He grabbed a grenade, pulled the pin, and lobbed it hard enough toward the concrete block. There was an exclamation from the Brutes as the grenade exploded, kicking a large amount of dirt into the air. A Brute fell out thrashing it its death throes making some of the Marines look away in disgust at all the blood spurting from it; only a couple of shots from a SMG put the creature out of its misery.

In response to this the remaining Brutes broke cover to attack, some of them berserking. But the Marines had the higher ground and the battle was finished. Before anyone could even think of celebrating, another Phantom appeared at the site bringing more Brutes with it.

"Shit, why must they pick on us?" a Marine wailed as he took cover from the Phantoms main cannon.

"Because the Chief is a big pain in their ass, no offense sir," another Marine piped up when the Chief picked up the fallen Chieftains Fuel Rod Gun and destroyed the turret.

"None taken."

The complement the Phantom had consisted of a bunch of Brute infantry and Jump-pack Brutes, and leading them was a Brute Chieftain with a Gravity Hammer. The Chief realized that the Marines would not fare well against the flying Brutes, they would basically snipe the few remaining defenders; and if the Marines took cover in the small outpost they had kept hold for so long, the Brutes on ground would advance and finish them off.

It was time to put his thinking cap on.

The Brute Chieftain looked at what lay before him. It was a hillside that was littered with wreckage and bodies, mostly Brute much to his chagrin. But up above he could see at least half a dozen Marines along with that damned Demon next to that small outpost. The commanding Brute grinned viciously, knowing the odds were on his side.

"Everyone, advance on the hill. Marcurus, take you squad and snipe the wretched humans to bloody pieces!" the lead Jump-pack Brute hearing his Chieftain's orders swaggered up and saluted.

"It shall be done!" he turned to the Brutes with Jump-packs which he was leading, "Get up onto the cliff-side. We'll splatter their guts from there!"

The lot of them charged up the devices on their backs and took a huge leap...to be cut down by a torrent of bullets. The Chieftain roared angrily yelling for the rest of his brethren to take cover. Already many of the Brutes who made it half-way up the hill were too busy to follow orders since they had their hands full with the Marines. The Chieftain looked up to see the Master Chief on the turret taking out any Brutes that dared to take to the sky.

"Fucking Demon!" the Chieftain hollered out, but his words were unheard over the firefight. He growled and yelled at the Brutes who were currently occupied with the Marines.

"Get back here you load of dead flesh, they have us pinned!" the only response he got was two of his pack pitching forward dead. A couple of the last Jump-pack Brutes who were bolder and perhaps a bit more stupid tried to land in behind enemy lines to assault the Marines. They never got that far.

Fury began to fill up within the Chieftain near the brink of insanity. Hefting his Gravity Hammer, the Chieftain let out a guttural roar and charged. This of course did not go unnoticed by any of the humans, who screamed in shock and backed away trying to cover the Chieftain with fire. A few Sniper rounds then flew out, killing the remaining Brute infantry and knocking off the Chieftains shields. Grimacing, the Chieftain looked around to see who was responsible until his eyes fell upon the Demon himself.

Giving out a scream mixed with anger and triumph the Brute Chieftain bounded right at the Spartan who was positioned at the entrance of the outpost, the Chieftain shrugged off the fire the Marines were laying on him, his hide was already burnt in multiple places. The Chieftain closing in on the Spartan let out a victorious yell and lifted its hammer...only to have the ground from beneath him erupt in a shower of dirt and fire the blast propelling the Brute over the small outpost , its lifeless body hitting the side of the cliff.

Unknown to the enemy and the Marines themselves, the Chief placed a landmine directly at the entrance to the outpost right after the Brutes began to attack. He waited for the right moment to enrage the Chieftain enough to disregard all safety and pursue the Chief.

"Beautifully done, sir!" a Marine exclaimed amid the cheers of his friends. The Spartan nodded in acknowledgement and looked over the remaining four Marines of a previous battalion.

"Is anyone else here in charge?" he asked them. Most of them went silent until one who was wielding a SMG spoke up.

"No sir, all our commanding officers are dead, but Air support is inbound to our position with heavy weapons which should help us clear out these Covenant bastards," he jumped when a Marine yelled out, "Wraith! Get to cover!"

A Wraith from further up the trail had arrived and was already firing its main cannon.

"Shit, everyone evacuate the area!" one of the Marines yelled before being enveloped in the Wraith's superheated plasma bolt. The remaining Marines ran away form the outpost which was now a smoldering wreck.

"That's it, we are so screwed!" a panicky Marine yelped to his friend, "We can't take that without heavy armour!"

"Quiet down," his partner chastised him, "Let the Chief show you how its done."

The Wraith tank was preparing to fire another round from its plasma mortar when the Master Chief leaped from nowhere and boarded the Wraith from behind. The Brutes onboard the Wraith sensed that their vehicle was being attacked tried to shake off the assailant but to no avail. The Chief broke open the covering on the rear propulsion jet and planted a grenade.

The Spartan then jumped off and put some distance from him and the Wraith as the explosion from the grenade caused a chain reaction in the tank destroying it from within. The Marines broke from cover and cheered the Chief for such a marvelous take down, but were silenced when the Chief held up his hand. It was Johnson on his helmets comlink.

"Chief, I'm within your area and have a visual of you and the boys," the Marines and the Spartan looked up to see two Pelicans approaching them from above, their jet engines humming softly, "Brutes have plenty of armor between here and Voi. But these Warthogs should help you punch on through."

The Marines were too shocked to speak because they never thought reinforcements would come through for them, so the Chief had to voice the word on their minds, "About time."

* * *

The Prophet of Truth was currently hovering through the halls of the Forerunner Dreadnought, being escorted by four Brute Honor Guards who strode proudly beside the aging prophet.

Truth was currently a bit upset that the wretched humans were pushing back his forces that had been stationed around the Portal to halt any interloper. So far the Brutes now had to fall back and reinforce their positions against the human onslaught. Truth had tirelessly broad-casted his messages to those on the field in order to encourage those faint of heart. Once again the Prophet thumbed a button on the armrest of his hoverchair. What he said could be heard on the Covenant channel and transmissions.

"The time is now ripe for all of us to enter the divine beyond. All must gather under the Portal to await its opening to the Ark, where we shall activate these Sacred Rings and allow their divine light to wash over us and set us on our glorious path to eternal life."

A couple of Jackal's who were standing idly around ran over to the Prophet begging to be blessed. The Brute Honor Guards moved in to block them, but a simple gesture from Truth told them to stand down. The Prophet of Truth hovered like a phenomenal deity over the creatures who bowed so low until their heads touched the ground. Truth then waved his hand over them and gave the Jackals their 'blessing', "May the gods look fondly upon you as the chosen ones who shall receive the invitation to join them in paradise, for it is said that Seven Rings shall begin the journey!"

The Prophet then continued on leaving the Jackals with their heads still to the floor. The Prophet and his guard then entered a brightly lit circular room which had its walls adorned with crystals. This was the center of the ship.

"Guard the entrance with your lives," the Prophet ordered his Brutes, "Let no one disturb me." The Brute Honor Guard acknowledged his request and exited the chamber, leaving Truth with the crystals. The Prophet then savored the silence and closed his eyes, muttering a prayer.

Despite the destruction of the first Sacred Ring by the Demon and Tartarus' failure to light the second, Truth was positive that he would be the one to start the Great Journey. His grand design was finally to come in full circle, and not even the Flood or the Humans could stop that.

* * *

The worst kind of assignment any Brute could receive was guard duty, and these unfortunate Brutes were stuck with it. They were tasked to scout the highway to halt any human advances, but a large squad of Wraiths and Choppers would most likely take care of the job up ahead. Right now they were just being idle and sometimes listen to the hologram of Truth doing his broadcasts.

One of the Brutes kicked the still body of a Marine that dared to attack them in a Warthog. The large ape-like beast looked up to see another Warthog coming straight at him. Roaring in shock, he tried to dodge but the Warthog rammed him in full force sending the Brute sailing over the edge of the highway. The other Brutes were now on full alert and took cover behind the barriers they set up. The mounted turret on the Warthog went to work, chewing out continuous bursts at any Brute that had its head showing.

"They aren't playing easy, the barriers are just too tough," the Marine in the passenger seat complained. The Chief without a word got out of the Warthog and walked slowly torwards the barriers.

"Uh Chief, what's on your mind?" the Marine asked uncertain at what the Spartan was doing. Ignoring the sniper fire and the spikes aiming at him, the Master Chief unhooked the Fuel Rod Gun from his back and focused it on the nearest barrier.

"Flushing them out," was all he said as he fired huge plasmic bolts. The plasma shots were powerful enough to knock down the barriers and take the Brutes down with them.

"Brutes on the horizon!" the Marine on the turret pointed out a couple of Brute Jumppack that were hovering towards the Chief and the Warthog crew. The Marines and the Chief opened fire on them, dropping a few from the air. The others immediately went berserk and had to be taken care of posthaste.

A Brute Shot rang out all of a sudden and impacted on the front of the Warthog. The Marines had to bail out just before the vehicle went up in flames. Chief then trained his gun on the Brute with the Shot and killed it.

"Sir, I believe the next Shield Barrier is just up ahead!" one of the Marines reported, "We may need to get tactical here!"

"Right," the Chief turned towards to where the Marine had pointed out the Shield Barrier and looked at the scene before him. There was a crashed Pelican in the middle of the road, with a couple of dead Marines and their weapons strewn about. He then noticed the Brute's had set up a Shade turret being operated by a Grunt. Above all, the place was tightly defended.

"Alright, I see a Shade turret ahead," the Chief added more bolts to the Fuel Rod Gun, "Don't reveal yourselves until I give the word."

The Marines nodded mutely and watched as the Chief crept over to get a good shot at the Shade. Setting it in his sights, the Chief released a bolt of deadly plasma at the Covenant turret. The bolt struck the Shade, knocking it off its small grav lift, this alerted the Brutes they were under attack.

"Alright, move towards the Pelican and lay suppressive fire. Go!" the Chief shouted as he ran into battle with the Marines following suit. The Brutes now knew who they were dealing with and started their attack. Taking cover behind the crashed Pelican, the Master Chief and his Marines slowly moved to the left side of the Pelican where they met the Brutes. The Brutes reacted slowly, giving the two Marines the time to open fire on them, killing one and injuring another.

"Scum sucking human!" one of the Brutes called out angrily and launched a salvo of Brute Shot projectiles, one of them sending a Marine to the beyond. The other Marine held out the best he could, but was cut down by a swarm of spikes. The Brutes then pushed forward, intent on slaying the Demon.

The Chief dodged the hail of Brute Shot projectiles coming his way and laid suppressive fire on the nearest Brute infantry.

"Another of us has fallen!" one of the Brutes lamented when seeing a member of his pack slump forward dead.

"Fall back, we're walking into our deaths if we should pursue him!" the Brute Chieftain near the Shield Barrier called out. Obediently but with reluctance, the remaining Brutes regrouped near the Chieftain. They took defensive positions around the small-arms fire barriers they set up, each scanning the area for the sight of the Demon.

"Where does our meal hide?" a Brute Bodyguard with Spikers in each hand questioned the Chieftain, "Does it lurk behind the wreckage of that abominable dropship?"

"Yes, I can smell it," the pack leader affirmed glowering at the fallen Pelican, "We need to flush the creature out, but in what way?"

While this was going on, the Chief reloaded his Battle Rifle. He was currently in a tight situation, one that involved a Brute Chieftain and five lesser Brutes. If he only had some heavy firepower...

Master Chief's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a ominous humming behind him. Whirling around he saw a badly-damaged Wraith coming down from the highway, and only one word went through his mind, _"Shit."_

The Brutes themselves saw the Wraith and gave out cheers.

"Finally, the shall pay for the many transgressions he has caused!" the Brute Chieftain crowed, "Pack Brothers, let us aid the Wraith in wiping out..." the Chieftain could have said more if not for the Wraith firing a huge amount of destructive plasma that engulfed half of their number including the leader. The remaining two Brutes were shocked at the sudden turn of events and would remain so until the next mortar round from the Wraith silenced them as well.

The Chief relaxed and turned to the Wraith as its hatch opened up revealing a Marine.

"Sorry I was a little late sir," the Marine scratched the back of his head, "I had no ride so I was forced to walk the rest of the way until I found this." He patted the Wraith good-naturally.

"I actually thought you came at the right time," the Chief complimented before he clicked his radio on to speak to Miranda Keyes, "This is Spartan one-one-seven, the pathway to Voi is clear.

"Well done Chief," Keyes voice came through crystal clear, "I'm at your location right now."

The Pelicans soon arrived to the entrance, carrying Marines and supplies for the main assault. Miranda herself piloted her own Pelican had contacted Lord Hood via screen.

"Lord Hood, we made it," the distinguished female Commander reported.

The aged admiral of the Home fleet smiled gratefully, "Music to my ears Commander. What about the Ark?"

"Fully uncovered sir."

"Then we don't have much time. Marines... The Prophet of Truth doesn't know it yet, but he's about to get kicked right off his throne," he cleared his voice and continued, "You will take our city back and drive the Covenant back to the grave they've been so happily digging. One final effort is all that remains."

The Pelicans fly off, leaving the Chief and the newly arrived Marines. The Master Chief drew out his MA5C and joined them to retake the city of Voi.

"Alright listen up men. I know we have been takin a lot of shit from the Covenant, first we had our Orbital Platform's destroyed, secondly we had over a billion people killed, and lastly they have taken Africa and begun to excavate a artifact or something. But today is our turn! We're going to retake this city, destroy that Dreadnought, and kick a Prophets ass!" a Sergeant yelled out, followed by the 'Ooorah' from many of the Marines.

The battle to cleanse Earth of the Covenant had begun.

* * *

Authors Note: This chapter was very hard to finish, but I once again prevailed against the time and activities. I've just taken Cross Country once again and I already am regretting it! Plus, School starts in less than a week! But enough of this ranting.

**Changes to Tsavo Highway in Halo 3 Remastered Edition  
**- The last two Brute Chieftain shall be carrying a Gravity Hammer instead of a Fuel Rod Gun(Easy, Normal, Heroic, and Legendary).  
- Two additional Brute Choppers will attack you from the tunnel with the first Shield Barrier(Heroic and Legendary)

Reviews shall be used to give the Master Chief more dialogue!


	5. The Storm

Groan, it took me over a month to finish this chapter mainly because of my High School schedule and the fact I have now to take Cross Country again. But I'll make it up to those who have been waiting so patiently by posting a video on my profile page. It's really neat and I would like for you to see it! Credits for the video go to the creator of course.

On the side note, I'm not sure when Code Lyoko Remix will be out of its hiatus. Stay tuned in case I get back to it.

* * *

**The Storm**

**Part I: Ghost Town**

The storm that hovered over the Covenant fleet seemed to have become more ferocious, lightning was flashing even striking the Dreadnought. All around the crater was huge Brute activity. Many of the grizzled and hardened warriors for the Covenant had dug in deep, reinforcing their positions. They all knew that the wretched human scum would arrive and lay down some heavy firepower in a futile attempt to bring down the Anti-Air emplacements.

Covenant artillery was stationed around the entire crater to stave off any aerial assaults from any Human or Sangheili. The AA Battery shot out large trajectory bolts of plasma strong enough to cripple a UNSC frigate providing a perfect defense. However, the enemy had realized a fatal flaw in the Covenant strategy: if one AA Battery was eliminated from the field, there would be a hole in the defenses allowing the humans to strike back at the Dreadnought. If the Forerunner ship took too many hits, the Great Journey would end before it even started.

The UNSC struck hard against the Brute defenders, attacking from all sides thinning out Brute ranks. But the heaviest fighting came from one place: Voi.

The industrious market city had served as the crossroads for railway lines between three Kenyan cities, such as the ruined New Mombasa and Nairobi. The small industrialized city was a 'worker town', and was filled with mechanical factories and shoreline buildings. It was situated around a man-made lake as a result of the global warming period of the 21st century which was now nothing more than a crater, crudely dug out by the Covenant.

Voi itself was now a battleground, a ragged band of Marines led by the Master Chief attacked the factories in order to take out the Anti-Air Wraith's that patrolled the dry lake bed left untouched by the Covenant excavation. A huge battalion of Marines engaged Covenant foot soldiers at the city suburbs, currently they had gained some ground but the Brutes laid out mines halting any further progress.

* * *

A bunch of the battle-worn Marines found cover in one of the office building that had tough walls. They were supposed to meet up with the strike team further ahead to help them take out the AA Battery, but those damn Brutes just kept coming.  
Major Tanner observed as the Covenant troops from the intersection began to gather up for another charge against the humans. A few hours ago, Tanner had received word from Command that he and his battalion would be engaging hostile forces in Voi, the primary objective being to take out the AA Battery.

Tanner looked over his squad, all of them hunched down and restless. The Major was not in the best of moods right now, he just lost over half of his men and the Scorpion tanks, now all he had left was foot soldiers.

"With my gentle encouragement, our lord's holy relic springs to life. It is unfortunate that our enemies also bear witness to its glory. But soon their dull eyes shall be closed; seared by the Rings unforgiving light," Truth spoke from a pedestal the Covenant troops had set up and it was audible enough to reach human ears.

"I would do anything just to shove a grenade down his throat," Private Damien growled bringing up his Battle Rifle.

"You won't be able to do it from here," a ODST named Walpole spoke up as he peeked through the open window at the Brutes. Walpole had been a part of the Battle of New Mombasa and was one of the lucky survivors who managed to escape before the Prophet of Regret made his getaway.

"Brutes approaching, get ready!" a Marine called out from the rooftops. The remainder of the battalion sprang into action. Several of the Brutes had already moved ahead as to scout out the hostile territory, while a large number of Grunts and Jackals followed from behind being herded by the Brute officers. The Marines opened fire upon them from M6G Magnum's to M41 Rocket Launcher's thinning out their ranks. The Covenant ranks returned fire, the Jackals hiding behind their energy shields with the Plasma Pistols in hand spurting out green blobs in whatever direction they thought the humans were, a couple more Brutes fell forward already sustaining huge wounds from the fight. Then the Drones appeared: a huge swarm that blot out the sun as they surged towards the hostiles. Many of the Marines turned their attention away from the Brutes and focused on the more imminent threat, shooting Drones out of the sky by the dozen with their carcasses littering the ground.

Tanner was a true battlefield commander, he was already giving out orders to his troops, "Wilson, Drew! Take your squads and assist Felton in flanking the bastards. Ethan, you and your squad provide covering fire for Wilson and Drew, we need to have the advantage in this situation."

These orders were carried out quick and efficiently, the Marines did as they had been instructed. Walpole and a couple of his comrades took up their roles as Marksmen perfectly and sniped out any high-ranking Brute that left itself open. It was then when Wilson's group joined up with Felton did the Brute's realize they had been outmaneuvered. Calling out in their gruff speech, they ordered a retreat. The first to obey the command was too no surprise the Grunts who already saw they lost the skirmish, while the Jackals followed suit. The Marines watched as the Covenant retreated inside the warehouse they had previously been defending with mixed emotions.

"They've fallen back sir!" Walpole laughed, but then turned grim, "Which means they have the opportunity to regroup and set up defensive positions."

"Right, we need reinforcements. Felton, radio command to give us some support."

There was a few seconds of prolonged silence before the the Private turned to Tanner with an apologetic shrug, "Can't reach them. Either the Brutes are jamming our transmissions or our radio just sucks."

This was met by groans from the assembled Marines, a sharp whistle from Major Tanner brought them back to attention. He turned to the warehouse his eyes furrowing.

"Then the duty to clear this sector now rest's on our shoulders."

* * *

A small force of Marines were trapped at the lake bed. They had been assigned to taking out the Anti-Air Wraith's at the industrial parts of Voi. They managed to take out a few before the Covenant caught onto their scheme and pinned them down on a "boardwalk" on the northern side of the lake bed with Covenant vehicles prowling the center laying heavy fire on the unfortunate Marines.

Luckily there was a few Mounted Missile Launchers at the site, so they made good use of those and repelled any Ghost, Banshee, or Chopper the Covenant sent at them. Also, a few Hornets had located the beleaguered soldiers and engaged in a dogfight with the menacing Banshees. Further luck would arrive in the form of Master Chief, who was currently overlooking the battle from a door leading into a factory. He was commandeering a M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle, commonly known as the Mongoose, a light ground reconnaissance vehicle. The Spartan was currently in charge of a pack of four of them, all geared and ready to wreak havoc.

The Marine on the back of the passenger seat on the Mongoose the Chief was operating had only one question to ask: "What's our plan of attack, sir?"

"Move fast and punch hard. Don't give them the opportunity to catch you," the Chief revved the Mongoose and sped down to the lake bed, the other ATVs following suit.

The Mongoose pack was an extremely effective strategy in taking out any Covenant infantry and armor. Each Mongoose had to have an experienced driver and a passenger with a M41 Rocket Launcher to provide firepower against any threat. But the Mongoose lacked personnel-protective armor which made the driver and passenger vulnerable to fire, so it would be the best choice to drive more often rather than stay in one place.

The counteroffensive on the AA Wraiths began when a few rockets from the Mongoose pack flew out and simultaneously hit the closest Wraith setting it aflame with plasma. The few Brute Choppers that were left on the lake bed then focused their attention on the Mongoose pack as well as the secondary plasma turret on the remaining AA Wraith focused its concentrated fire on the Chief and his allies. One unlucky Mongoose ran straight into an incoming Chopper which was followed by an awful explosion and a shower of blood from the Marines caught in the wheel from the Chopper and the ATV being torn to shreds.

A nearby Marine on the Mongoose saw what happened and would not let that act go unanswered. He fired a rocket which hit the Chopper on its left side, the impact causing it to erupt in a shower of fire and metal shards sending the punctured corpse of the Brute driver cartwheeling in the air.

The last AA Wraith was unprotected, its escort of Choppers either engaged in combat or destroyed. The Mongoose pack closed in for the kill, and the Brutes seeing the danger they were in made a last-second decision to evacuate. Three rockets soared out, they struck hard against the Wraith turning it into a smoldering wreck.

"Eyes to the sky! Approaching Covenant Phantoms!" the Marine behind the Chief yelled out, "They're carrying Ghosts!"

The Chief was already dodging the plasma fire from the dropship and barked out orders, "Concentrate your fire on those Ghosts, don't let them deploy!"

* * *

**Part II: Judgment**

Many bodies littered the floor of the Traxus Facility Complex 03, a jumbled assortment of Humans, Jackals, Grunts, and Brutes. The Battle of Voi had been going slowly but the Marines had began to gain ground. Tanner had his forces reduced drastically to the point in which he only had half a company with him now. Taking precautions the Major ordered a MAKO drone to be sent out to scout out the area for any potential threats. It was being piloted by Felton who was looking through the view screen on the control pad, directing and issuing commands to the MAKO. Tanner hung over anxiously the Marine Private trying to get as much of a view of the screen as he could.

"Well Private, any reports of Brute activity?"

"Negative sir, it appears they've fallen back to the gun set up," Felton turned his attention back to the screen, "I still need a few more seconds to get a clear survey of this sector."

The Major turned to what little remained of his once numerous battalion. The Marines all an assortment of sexes and rank stood by awaiting any further command, a few of them looked nervous and a bit unsure of how long they could hold out. Walpole being the closest to Tanner held a whispered conference.

"I'm not sure if we can hold out any longer sir, do you have any idea where our reinforcements might be?"

"Not sure, this battle is a catastrophic mess and we can't pick up command, it appears we might be flying solo," Tanner grumbled, he eyed Walpole, "Got any bright ideas how to reach 'em?"

"Sir, you might want to have a look at this!" Felton spoke out urgently, bringing the Major over to the technical Marine.

"Found anything?"

"Yes, a Scarab. It's east of our position and heading straight for the lake bed!"

* * *

The lake bed was now secured by the hastily-assorted Marines. After the AA Wraiths had been neutralized, further trouble came when the Phantoms brought over a group of Ghosts in hopes to crush the small Marine task force. But with the Chief's guidance and the Marines quick wits did they manage to emerge victorious from the heated struggle.

The Chief could hear the anti-air emplacement of in the distance as it fired upon any human aircraft, but then he picked up another sound: an ominous mechanical grinding noise from who knows where.

"What's that sound?" the backseat Marine asked the Chief as he readied his Rocket Launcher. The Chief meanwhile was in thought; that noise, did he know it from somewhere?

The booms and the grinding started to get even louder. It then hit the Chief like a Gravity Hammer.

"It's a Scarab! Find cover!" he bellowed to the Marines closest to him. They all knew what the Scarab was and how dangerous, so the order was carried out posthaste. The Scarab was considered by all a walking fortress, boasting a huge front-mounted cannon that fired super-heated green plasma that could melt a Scorpion tank in under a minute. It also had a anti-air turret located at the rear that was extremely effective against airborne craft and ground-based vehicles as well. The Scarab functioned as a tool of assault against heavily defended structures and provided support for Covenant ground forces. The UNSC had no ground vehicle that was able to combat such a destructive behemoth.

The massive Scarab soon lumbered down from the factory and onto the lake bed, dust rised as its leg slam into the ground. Its presence shook the very core of every Marine present, how could they fight this thing?

The Scarab turned its head towards the Mongoose pack, the flaps around its main gun opened up and the eerie green light that seemed to serve as the maw of doom grew brighter. A sound emitted from the bestial walking fortress as if it was inhaling a large amount of air. The Scarab then exhaled, a huge beam of billowing plasma arched forward. The nearby Mongoose barely avoided the blast and drove to a safer location to get out of range from the main cannon.

Master Chief was no stranger to situations like these. He knew from the simulations that the Scarab had numerous weak points, most of them located on its legs. The Spartan looked over his shoulder at the backseat Marine and the other Mongoose behind him, they looked like they needed a boost of morale.

"Stay focused and aim for the leg joints, that's the only way we can take it down! Drive underneath it so they can't fire back!"

This emboldened the Marines and they opened up in volleys of rockets. A few managed to take out the crew onboard, including a couple of Grunts on the side of the Scarab using automatic plasma turrets. Following the Chief's advice, the reduced Mongoose pack drove toward the Scarab until it was beneath its belly. Simultaneously the rockets struck the Scarab's joints, sending out showers of plasma and metal each time a successful strike was made.

"Ran out of rockets, sir," the Marine in the backseat apologized to the Chief, "Could I use your Rocket Launcher please?"

The Spartan nodded and motioned to the M41 Rocket Launcher strapped to his back, "Yeah, just make sure you get a clear shot at the Scarab, don't waste any ammo."

"Sir!" the Marine shouted out in thanks and threw his used Rocket Launcher to the side and took the fully loaded one.

A few more successive hits later, the Scarab suddenly staggered and made a few warning sounds as it was forced to lower itself to the ground. The green eye on the main cannon suddenly grew dim until it was nonexistent.

"Now while it's down! Board it and cause an internal destruction!" the Chief ordered to the last of those in the Mongoose pack. The remainder of the Scarab crew rushed to defend their war machine. The Spartan narrowly avoided being hit by plasma turret rounds as he tried to get a chance to board the Scarab.

"Take out that turret!" the Chief barked out to his backseat passenger.

"On it, sir!" the Marine set his sights on the Grunt-mounted plasma turret and fired off a rocket. The Grunt was able to catch a glimpse of the projectile before it hit him with full force, causing a small explosion as it took both alien and turret!

The Marine behind him glanced over at the remaining Covenant crew members and nodded in satisfaction.

"There is just a couple of Grunts and one Brute left sir, I think now would be the time to..."

Suddenly a beam of light particles whizzed by the Chief's head just a couple of centimeters away. The Spartan turned around just in time to see the backseat Marine topple over onto the ground with a burning hole through his head.

Cursing, the Chief swerved around and headed straight toward the downed Scarab. He could make out the Brute and the Jackal Sniper that just appeared trying to defend the lower level to the control room.

Going at full speed, the Chief went straight at the Scarab. The Brute had its eyes on the other Mongoose and did not see the Chief until it was too late.

When being hit by a Mongoose at full speed, it feels somewhat like a wrecking ball that was meant for a building to be demolished and yet you happened to be standing in the way. This same feeling happened to the Brute as the Mongoose collided with it and carried him right into the back of the control room. A huge snap resounded within the Brutes body and immediately the huge beast felt strangely dizzy. What was the warm liquid coming out of its mouth? Saliva? Blood?

The Chief watched as the Brute struggled pitifully against the Mongoose. The Spartan then did a act of mercy by ending the Brutes life with a simple pull of a trigger; then he turned to the few Grunts and the odd Jackal on the lower deck and finished them off as well.

"Chief, you onboard the Scarab?" Johnson spoke through the comlink on the Spartan's helmet.

"Yes, the crew has been mostly taken care of," the Chief spoke looking over the numerous flashing lights on the command deck.

"Well to inform you, the Scarab can't be taken out by blowing the control room to hell."

"What?"

"The Covenant has just upgraded their Scarab to actually move and act on its own. We have intel from the Elites that its being controlled by Lekgolo," Johnson explained, "You have to find the main power core within the Scarab to take it out. It's on the second level and is pulsating with Lekgolo, you can't miss it."

"Right," the Chief then had to catch himself when the Scarab suddenly lurched. It had consumed and stored enough power to force itself back up again.

"The Scarab is active! Hurry Chief, find that power core!" Johnson barked through the comlink. With the Scarab now mobile, time for the Marines on ground was running out.

The Chief headed for the ramp which led to the second deck. The Spartan now was on the Scarab's head; the Chief had a good view of the lake bed. One lone Mongoose and a small number of Marines was all that was left, they could not keep up with the Scarab. Some sixth sense told the Spartan he was in danger, so he immediately leaped sideways. A Brute ran past on all fours, screaming and yelling out in a foreign tongue. Despite the fact that all Brute's were burly and weighed over a thousand pounds, it could move at extreme speeds while completely berserk. The Brute turned around on all fours to face the Spartan, saliva was running down its mouth and the eyes were bloodshot and it was swallowing large amounts of air.

It bellowed once more and charged, the Chief knew he could not let this beast deter him from killing the Scarab. Seeing the Brute charging towards him the Chief dodged just in time, he leaped up and got a choke hold on the Brute. The berserker immediately tried to throw its opponent off, but the Chief clung on like a leech. The Brute finally managed to throw the Chief off and was about to charge again until he heard a familiar hiss. His eyes widened and his rampage fleeing him, the Brute realized he had been stuck by a plasma grenade.

"No! Damn you, damn you, damn you!" these were the Brutes last words before his entire body was consumed by the explosion of plasma, sending charred remains of flesh in all directions.

Wasting no time, the Chief ran to the back of the Scarab: the core. It was deep within the Scarab's bulbous end, being hidden within the body. It was surrounded by pulsating cables and covered by what resembled a Jackal shield. The Chief brought up a Brute Shot which he swiped from the deck and fired round after round on the core. The Shield was soon disabled and chunks of wriggling Lekgolo flew out, and the core was soon blaring red. The Scarab buckled under the heavy strain and its legs gave way from under it.

"GET AWAY! It's gonna blow!" the Marines onboard the remaining Mongoose veered off from the Scarab while the Chief jumped from a great height and landed heavily on the ground. Turning to see the Scarab sending out showers of sparks, the Spartan dashed away just in time before the huge behemoth detonated.

"We did it!" the remaining Marines cheered from the boardwalk, overjoyed that they made it out of the fight.

The leading Marine of the small group that had held out from the onslaught saluted to the Chief as he just reached the hill leading to the boardwalk, "I guess we know who wears the pants on this planet, and you're the belt that keeps them up sir!"

The Master Chief knew it was one of the Marines ever random compliments, so he just nodded his thanks.

"Hey look, its everyone's favorite Elite!" the Marine pointed out a Pelican that dropped off the Arbiter and a couple of Marines. The Arbiter was the one who greeted Master Chief by clacking his mandibles in acknowledgement for his victory over the Scarab.

"We got here as soon as we could, our forces have been stretched thin," the veteran Sangheili explained. One of the Marines who arrived with the Arbiter came up to the Chief.

"The Commander ordered us to converge at Voi for the final assault, Chief. But we need a SitRep," the Marine officer looked over to the Marine who was currently in charge of his small group.

"We have this area secure, but we took heavy casualties and have been unable to break through the Brutes last line of defense," the leading Marine shook his head sadly, "Those bastards tore many of us apart, many of them...eaten..."

There was silence for a moment, and out of a corner of his eye the Chief saw a Marine just behind the others staring hard at the Arbiters back.

"This transgression shall not go unpunished," the Arbiter then spoke up, "The Brutes are blind followers of the Prophet's lies and have been ensnared in a web of deceit."

"Well that's good to know," the Marine in the back said with a hint of sarcasm, "Just the same way you were before."

All those present froze at what was heard, and all turned to that Marine. The Arbiter however seemed unaffected, maybe he was keeping his peace or it really did not matter.

"Goldfarb!" the Marine officer faced the other who had spoken out, "May I speak to you in private?"

Goldfarb gave the officer a hard look before giving a grudging nod. As he moved away, the officer gave the Chief a silent nod.

"We're going on ahead without those two, for now we need to eliminate the AA gun," the Spartan addressed the remainder of the platoon.

"Right sir, the AA gun is through the factory," the leading Marine pointed over at a beaten door leading to the factory complex, "We'll get you there."

* * *

Goldfarb meanwhile was facing the full brunt of Staff Sergeant Huxley's lecture.

"Do you have any idea why you spoke out, son," the sergeant growled, "Why must you let your own vendetta take control of you, I know you're better than that!"

"Sir, I'm not the one to forget the crimes those split-lip's have caused when they first met us at Harvest," Goldfarb defended himself, "You know how many lives they've taken?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Huxley returned with the same amount of heat, "But things have happened that are far out of our ability to comprehend."

Goldfarb knew what his superior was referring to: the Covenant Civil War that took place inside High Charity and the Elites switching sides. To him it happened all too fast, the Prophets ordering the Brutes to exterminate the Elites and the Arbiter uncovering the real purpose of the Halo Rings. The Arbiter gathered what remained of the scattered Sangheili fleets and struck back against the Covenant at Earth, laying waste to many of their finest legions and denying them any victory. Hell, that split-lip even led an assault to retake North America from the Brute hordes.

"But we can't simply say 'We killed a ton of your warriors and you destroyed nearly all of our colonies so we're even, let's have an alliance', they still have shed innocent blood," he persisted angrily, and the Staff Sergeant shook his head.

"I don't like it any better than you do Goldfarb, but right now we need all the help we can get!"

"Then heed my words, sir," Goldfarb stared right into Huxley's eyes, "When this war is over, ask yourself: will they remain our allies, or poise their blades and stab us in the back?"

For that Huxley had nothing to say.

* * *

The scream of a UNSC Longsword could be heard as it caught fire when it got too close to the AA gun, causing it to soar wildly into the cliffs below. The hill was defended well by a company of Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals. They had fallen back to the gun emplacement after the vicious assault from the Humans had dwindled their numbers, and each of them had to take special measures to guard the AA gun from any attack. The Brutes held the highest authority and were ever vigilant as they guarded the AA gun, the Jackals took up positions with activated shields knowing a fight would be soon, and the Grunts tentatively kept watch and patrolled the hillside.

A Brute Chieftain stood side-by-side with his captains and bodyguards and watched over the Grunt who was setting up the plasma turret to repel any Human attackers. This Chieftain was a giant amongst his subordinates and led his pack with an iron fist. He was one who would easily lose his temper, as right now.

"Confounded whelp, " the Chieftain raised his fist causing the Grunt to cower, "How long must this take?!"

"Sorry, sorry, but this turret just won't snap on!" the beleaguered Grunt wailed and tried even harder to jam the cannon on its stand.

Meanwhile the Chief was hidden from view behind a couple of sandbags that had been set up. He peered through the scope of the SRSS9D-S2 AM at the hulking Brute Chieftain and the Grunt who was failing to set up the turret. The Chief turned to the Arbiter who was a couple of meters away from him and concealed from sight. There used to be as small company of Marines and Civilian militia with him when he entered the factory complex, but they all fell under the onslaught; now only he and the Arbiter were the only ones left to take out the AA gun.

A crack from the sniper rifle was heard, and the Grunt fell backwards as its head erupted in luminous blue blood. The Brutes roared out in surprise that even one of them moved forward but also crumbled to the ground a bullet wound visible on its neck. At once the Covenant force was alert, the Grunts then marched down the hill to root out the attackers. Cursing, the Chieftain brought up his Fuel Rod Gun and released mortar rounds to where the attack came from. The Arbiter revealed himself, moving from cover and letting loose a volley of heated plasma at the Grunts dropping them. A several seconds later a few more cracks rang out, and two more Brutes fell at the Chieftain's side.

The Chieftain roared out something and the Grunts immediately did a 180-degree turn and headed back up the hill. The Chief cocked his head, it appeared they had drawn back to defend the AA gun from a better position.

"See how they flee? The Grunts who follow the Brutes follow out of fear and their morals twisted," the Arbiter advanced the slope along with the Spartan. All of the sudden the Chief spotted the all too familiar flare of plasma grenades arching in the air, heading straight for him.

"Watch out, they're flinging grenades," the Chief yelled; the Arbiter did a barrel-roll as a grenade exploded from where he previously stood. Simultaneously explosions dotted the slope, the Chief was caught in one of the blasts. His Mjolinor Armor was able to absorb the damage, but the shields were down. Another wave of Plasma grenades soon appeared, this time the two legendary warriors were able to dodge successfully.

By natural reflexes the Chief was already firing back with his Battle Rifle, scoring some hits against the crowd of Grunts that congregated the hilltop. The Arbiter got his hands on the discarded Plasma Cannon and released a torrent of plasma that drastically thinned out the ranks.

The Brutes meanwhile had fallen back to where they stood at the far side of the hill, firing ballistic grenades and bolts of plasma at the one-man army and the great protector of the Elites.

Taking cover behind one of the AA gun's massive legs, the Chief waited until his shields had fully recharged. The Arbiter was on the move, the cannon was beginning to run out of ammo though.

Nearly avoiding a green bolt of plasma that exploded on impact just a few inches away from him, the Arbiter saw the Spartan take aiming at the Brutes with the Sniper rifle. Ignoring the plasma fire that spilled across from where he was, the Arbiter activated his camouflage and headed toward his intended target. The Chief was forced to take pot shots at the Brutes who were shooting short controlled bursts and roared in frustration when they kept on missing the target. Flinching as his shielding layer fell apart after the Demon sneaked in a few hits. Screaming he ordered his subordinates to charge the Spartan soldier and to maul him, but suddenly white hot pain flashed throughout his body and looking downwards he saw the familiar shining blade of the Elite.

The other Brutes stared aghast as their leader made weak, muted moans as he tried to pry the blade from its chest. The Arbiter from beind finally ripped the blade free allowing the Chieftain topple to the ground; the other Brutes immediately went into a frenzy and charged in a typical Brute fashion, but were all slice and diced by the Arbiter. Grabbing one by the throat, he plunged the blade into the chest and tore it free just in time to strike out a Brute that attacked from the side. The Chief watched in silence as the two last Brutes tumbled to the ground lifelessly, causing the Grunts and surprisingly the Jackals (who rarely panicked in battlefield situations) and came out from hiding to clean up the rabble.

* * *

"Has anyone heard from Damien?" Tanner barked out to his assembled squad on the roof of the Traxus Facility complex.

"Negative sir," Walpole apologized, "He went up ahead with his squad minutes ago to root out any stragglers, he radioed me just thirty seconds ago to confirm he spotted the AA gun and its guards."

"Did he try to attack all on his own?" the Major tried hard to keep his voice level, but with minimal success.

"He didn't say, but I presume he did," Walpole looked downward at his blood-stained boots.

Tanner cursed and turned to Felton who still operated the MAKO drone, "Have any visual on the target, soldier?"

"Sure do, and the Chief and Arbiter are cleaning up the mess!" the private dashed away all gloomy thoughts as he laughed at the screen, "Those two are starting to work as a team!"

"How long have they been fighting?" Tanner was a little miffed he wasn't informed the Chief and Arbiter would be helping out, and how Felton hadn't told him sooner.

"Ain't sure, the drone just got to the site; right this minute they're mopping the floor with those spineless Grunts and snapping Jackals in half!"

"How about that damn gun?"

"They're just finishing up with the stragglers..." Felton broke into a wide grin and nearly jumped, "Now the Chief is laying some punishment on the core! Ha, there it goes. Boy, the Prophet of Truth is in for a unpleasant surprise!"

* * *

The AA gun gave off a shower of excess plasma, its top popped right off the legs and tumbled down the cliff. The survivors of the conflict, the Chief and the Arbiter, stood on the cliff side of the hill looking out at the focus of the military strike: the Dreadnought.

The two champions looked up just in time to see multiple squadrons of Longswords and SkyHawks streaked overhead followed by six UNSC frigates. The Covenant fleet overhead was not responding strangely as they gathered near the Forerunner Dreadnought centered below them at the Portal.

"All ships, fire at will!" Lord Hood's voice vibrated within the Chief's helmet. The frigates with their massive Magnetic Accelerator Cannons discharging volleys upon the Dreadnought. Huge plumes of fire and smoke covered Truth's ship, and for a moment it appeared this day would belong to humanity.

Then a deep, melodious sound echoed throughout the savanna and the ground underneath the Chief shook. The Forerunner structure soon opened up like a giant starfish waking up, multiple beams of serene blue light shot out from the tips of the monoliths and struck the Dreadnought. From the ship erupted a brilliant beam of light that pierced the storm clouds that hung over the Portal and a strong gust of wind soon followed, knocking Covenant and Human vessels alike out of formation and blew the Chief and the Arbiter into the nearby rocks on the hill.

The light still continued to get brighter, its intensity blinding the Chief's visor as a multitude of voices screamed in his head. Then everything was dark, all was silent until one familiar voice spoke out, "_This is the way the world ends..."_

* * *

Thus concludes one of the most frustrating chapters of this fic, sometimes I wish I had the time to type all day, but I have to study for a test (kills study sheet with holy water). But now I should have more time with the extended weekend coming up. I've also skipped the part where the Flood-infested Covenant cruiser crash lands in Voi, that'll be up in the next chapter.

**Changes in The Storm  
**-There is six UNSC frigates instead of three in the final cut-scene

Reviews willl be used to resupply the Grunts tanks with methane!


	6. Floodgate

Now begins the sixth chapter of Halo 3 Remastered Edition: Floodgate. After the blinding flash of light, it appears Truth had won (well, not really since he would kill even himself when he activated the Rings) and it appears the world has truly ended, or is there something else that is much more bigger than the Halo Rings themselves?

I don't own Halo(how many times do I have to say it?)

* * *

**Floodgate**

_"Am I dead?"_

That question floated around the Chief's subconscious as he tried to figure out what just happened. All he remembered was the Forerunner Dreadnought shooting out a beam right into the heart of the storm cloud, and then everything whited out.

A splash of colors appeared in front of the Chief's sight, he felt as though as he was half-asleep. His vision began to clear, everything was soon returning to recognizable order; the Chief shook his head to clear it of its aches and saw he was looking towards the ground. His body felt like it was weighed down by millstones, and he clumsily staggered to his feet. Turning to his left he saw the Arbiter who was gazing intently at something, the Spartan joined him and wished he hadn't woken up so early.

The storm had vanished, but now it had been replaced by a large glowing sphere with its center nothing but pitch black darkness. The Chief realized it was a massive Slipspace Rift; it hung over the artifact silently, giving off an ominous feeling. All the vessels, UNSC and Covenant alike, were drifting in the air disorganized. The Forerunner Dreadnought was unaffected; its thrusters fired up, lifting the enormous tetrahedral ship off the ground.

The comlink within the Chief's helmet crackled to life, and on the other end was Lord Hood himself who was coughing and gasping.

"What did Truth just do?!" the aged admiral paused as he coughed again, "Did he activate the rings?"

The Arbiter gave out a bellowing roar as Truth's ship rises into the Slipspace Rift followed by the Covenant fleet.

"No sir," Miranda Keyes was the one to answer him, "But he certainly did something."

The old admiral cleared his throat, "Evac the wounded and regroup. Wherever Truth went-"

"Sir, new contact slipping in," a Naval Officer interrupted.

Another slipspace rift formed, though much smaller in size just a couple of miles east of Voi. A CCS-class Battle Cruiser emerged and drifted through the air, it soon hurdled towards the small city, just passing overhead the Chief and the Arbiter. Getting a closer look at it the Chief could see it was smoking rancid fumes and distraught and struggling to stay airborne. The whole planet seemed to shake when the smoking cruiser crash landed just beyond the factory complex.

Then as if by some dark magic, the sky around Kenya took on a much more darkened appearance, smog started to billow from where the cruised just landed, and blotted out the sun.

"What is it? More Brutes?" the Arbiter asked uncertainly.

"Worse."

* * *

**Part I: It followed me home...**

The air outside had become moist and thick, small particles floated around the factory and forming in clots. Inside the Traxus facility, the reduced battalion of Major Tanner had finally made it out of the maze of corridors and into the motor pool. Walpole whistled when he spotted a pair of Hunters lying on the ground with their armor torn apart.

"You think the Chief did that?" Wilson gazed over Walpole's shoulder, his eyes wide.

"Maybe, or it could have been the Arbiter as well. He was with him," the ODST mused.

"You two, keep focused. This is a hot zone," the Major barked, "We have scattered reports of the Flood in the area."

The Marines present went silent, all of them heard from the briefing that the Flood had become a newer and more deadlier threat in the war, and partly the reason for the Human-Elite alliance.

"Wait, did you hear that?" a spooked Marine swung his Battle Rifle to the sound of rustling coming from the back of a bunch of crates.

"Steady men," the Major warned his group. All Marines drew out their firearms and aimed in the direction to where the noise came from. A lone Flood combat form moved sluggishly towards the defenders of Earth. Walpole reacted quickly and fired a few rounds to where the head was supposed to be. The zombie-like horror fell backward as the bullets ripped through spraying green entrails across the floor.

A gargled roar filled the air which increased in pitch until it was a horrifying screech. The Factory was then overrun by Flood, all lumbering towards their next meal. The disfigured creatures used any weapon at their disposal and charged without any second thought at the group of Marines, ignoring the shower of bullets that thinned their ranks. But the most frustrating and deadliest of the Flood happened to be the scurrying Infection forms. Whenever a Flood Combat form would fall after taking a number of hits, the little parasitic creature would simply resurrect the body and force it to stand and fight again.

"Get it off me!" one of the Marines had a Infection form glued to its face and was busy injecting poison. Walpole was too slow to help, the Marine fell as he started to convulse, then sprout spores and went into spasms as his body underwent a transformation.

"Quick, behind those sandbags!" Tanner yelled out above the fray. Few managed to answer as the Flood was beginning to overwhelm the small force of Marines.

Without thinking, Walpole threw himself past a couple of Combat forms swinging their tentacles and dived behind one of the sandbags near the large cargo door. The Flood continued their assault and drove the exhausted Marines backward.

"We're screwed," Walpole looked to his right to see one whimpering Marine huddling against the sandbags, "This is our final hour, no doubt about it."

The ODST felt a twinge of pity at first for the scared Marine, but it was quickly replaced by disgust.

"Pull yourself together," he snarled as he shook the huddled Marine, "I'm not going into a fetal position for these bastards."

Pulling a Frag grenade from his pouch, Walpole threw it over his shoulder at the incoming Flood. It detonated seconds later, incinerating anything within its blast radius. More Combat forms still appeared, all of them shuffling towards the last two Marines in the entire battalion. Walpole growled and in an act of defiance, snatched the SMG from his quivering Marine partner and along with a Shotgun, unleashed a barrage of firepower upon the approaching Flood creatures. A couple of the Combat forms then leaped into the air towards Walpole, who didn't have time to defend himself.

A tentacle slashed the side of Walpole's head, causing him to careen towards the back of the cargo door. A sickening crack resounded through his head, and his vision began to swim. Walpole could barely make out the Flood Combat form moving towards him, and saw the huddled shape of his fellow Marine who was soon swarmed by a couple of Infection forms. He had been right when he said they would die here.

He tried to call out for help, but his voice seemed muffled and his mouth was oozing some kind of warm liquid. He tried to reach out in some kind of vain effort to halt the Flood creature, but it only swatted his hand away.

The looming figure of the Flood then halted, and in a gruesome display it was torn apart. Walpole's mind could not fathom what had just happened, but off in the distance he could see another figure, no wait, two of them in pitched combat with the horde of Flood.

Before he could move onto the Afterlife, Walpole managed to form his lips into a smile. Whoever those two were, they had to be born champions of war.

* * *

"Shipmaster, we have entered the planets orbit," one of the numerous command crew members onboard the _Shadow of Intent _reported.

Rtas 'Vadum crossed his arms as he stared at the holographic display of the Human world on the command bridge. He pressed a few keys on the module and the hologram changed, this time showing the continent of Africa. There were six triangles, those being UNSC ships, above the huge Slipspace rift had just appeared.

"What is the current situation on this world?"

"It appears the bastard Truth has fled with his forces through that Portal to who knows where," the Major Domo Elite who was the helmsmen on the Carrier responded, "But it appears the Flood ship has crash landed near the excavation site and has just begun to spread."

Clacking his only remaining mandibles together in frustration, Rtas pondered the next move. He was given command of part of the Combined Sangheili fleet and it was his sole duty to wipe out any Flood ships that tried to attack other worlds. But now the Flood had slipped past their defenses and has already begun to spread on the planet called Earth.

"Shipmaster, we have a transmission from the human fleet lord," an Elite Minor reported from his station at the helm of the bridge, "He requests he speak with you urgently!"

"Very well, patch him through," Rtas turned his eyes to the viewing screen at the head of the bridge, ignoring the holographic display.

The logo of the UNSC appeared on the screen before the admiral himself appeared; to Rtas he was by far the oldest looking human he had ever seen, he had the traces of countless battles all across his wrinkled yet hardened face.

"This is Rtas 'Vadum, Shipmaster of the _Shadow of Intent _and Commander of the SpecOps forces, what is your current situation?"

"Shipmaster," the Admiral paused so he could look over his shoulder at the busy and riled crewmen of the _Forward Unto Dawn, _"The Flood has nearly overrun the city of Voi and there is still a few Marines down there, including the Chief and the Arbiter."

At the Arbiter's name the bridge crew immediately broke out in small scattered whispers, which Rtas silenced with a wave of his hand.

"Has the Parasite spread any further?"

"Not quite," the aging Admiral replied to the Elite Commander, "The Flood is making its stand at Voi, near the excavation site. Our Bombers have deterred any advance."

"Well done, but the Flood will eventually spread," Rtas thought for a moment and the bridge went silent as the yawaited their Shipmaster's decision. He looked up after a couple of seconds.

"Are there any survivors left?"

"Besides the Chief and the Arbiter, we have a few Marines who are holding their own but are trapped."

Rtas turned to a nearby SpecOps officer who stood at attention when he felt his superiors gaze upon him, "Orazuml, gather your squad and prepare for battle, you will locate any human you can find and eliminate any parasite in your way."

"I have already gathered them, they await further orders."

"Well done," Rtas turned to the Admiral who was still projected on the screen, "My ships will enter your atmosphere, in the meantime you gather any survivors you can and contact the Arbiter, and tell him he and I need to discuss the situation in fuller detail..."

* * *

**Part II: Shadow of Intent**

The Chief and the Arbiter finally emerged from the factory after managing to repel a horde of Flood. It was sad to say that most, if not all Marines who had secured the facility after fighting the Covenant had all perished and were reanimated into the Flood. Such a fate was unthinkable, worse than death.

The two champions had arrived at the lake bed where the Scarab had detonated, and stopped short when they heard Rtas speak through the comlink, "Hail Humans, and take heed, this is the carrier Shadow of Intent."

Up above the lake bed the Chief and Arbiter paused to see three Elite-controlled CCS-class Battlecruisers fly in formation while the Assault Carrier slices overhead from slipspace. Orbital Insertion Pods dropped from the sky ahead on the lake bed, the Flood was upon them within seconds.

"Clear this sector, while we deal with the Flood," Rtas then canceled transmission. The Chief turned to his Elite companion with a nod, "It appears your friends came to help out."

"Things have changed for the better," the Arbiter clacked his mandibles and pointed out to the conflict below, "But as of now they need our assistance."

The SpecOps Elites were extremely skilled warriors and relentless in battle; they were commandos assigned on extremely dangerous missions for the Covenant, before the Great Schism that is. Best of the best and clever tacticians, they stood out from the rest of the other Elites, except for Ultras and Zealots.

As of now they had to contend with the Flood, and were having a difficult time of it, already one of the Elites had fallen and the Flood swarmed the cliff. Yet salvation arrived in the form of the infamous Demon along with the Arbiter. Using short controlled bursts, the Spartan began to thin the ranks of the mass of Combat forms. The bullets from the Battle Rifle tore through the thick and disfigured bodies while the Elite Plasma Rifles melted off chunks off the Flood.

One of the reanimated Elite combat forms sprang up out of nowhere and fired rapid bursts on the Chief's armor. A SpecOps Elite stepped in front of the Spartan letting his shields take most of the damage, and proceeded to do a swift kick on the infected Elites head, knocking it down to be finished off by the others. The Chief looked at the Elite who assisted him and nodded a thank you, to which the Elite replied with the same gesture.

"My brothers, I fear you bring bad news," the Arbiter addressed the Elite to whom the Chief bestowed his thanks upon.

"_High Charity _has been completely transformed into a dreaded Flood hive," the Elite reported.

"And the fleet? Has the quarantine been broken?"

"A single infested ship broke through our line, and we gave chase."

The Arbiter's eyes widened with shock, "We had a fleet of hundreds!" The Elite, whom the Chief now recognized as some type of officer, shook his head in regret.

"Alas brother, the Flood. It has evolved!"

* * *

Things were in the meantime had not been going well for a bunch of Marines who had retreated further back away from the crash site. The Flood had followed, and was wreaking havoc as it went. A bunch of the Marines who survived after the Battle of Voi were left to deal with the onslaught of the parasitic monsters. A bunch of the Marines had made their stand at one of Voi's fueling stations, and were fighting a losing battle.

"Keep firing, keep firing!"

"They're swarming over the barricade... oh god, look out!"

"I can't hold them off, they just keep on coming!"

N'tho was a hard-pressed Elite, the Flood was coming from all sides and the chain gun he was operating had nearly ran out of ammo. His mandibles tightened when he spotted a group of huge, hulking Flood form approach from the Traxus Facility. He wasn't informed of this type of Flood!

"Look, Phantom dropships! What the hell?!!" Bunte wailed pointing to the sky. N'tho followed the Warthog drivers outstretched arm. What he saw caused him to roar triumphantly.

"It is my brothers! They have come to even the odds!"

The plasma cannons opened fire on the masses of Flood combat forms and SpecOps soon followed. Energy Swords flashing in the haze-filled yard, the Separatist's best where like miniature tornadoes of fury as they struck down any Flood within range. Emboldened, the remaining Marines joined in the fight. It was an odd mixture: of yelling, hollering humans and roaring Elites, yet it was a sight to behold.

A few more Phantoms and one Pelican arrived, each bringing needed reinforcements for the battle. After a short struggle, the skirmish belonged to the UNSC. N'tho dismounted the chain gun while Bunte and the Lieutenant drove the smoking Warthog over to the Pelican for liftoff. Jumping on board the closest Phantom, N'tho turned to see the Marines filing onto the Phantoms as well. Many had been through a living nightmare, they saw their friends turned into zombie creatures and had unexpected help from former enemies, most of them looked traumatized and in shock. N'tho couldn't blame them.

* * *

Master Chief and the SpecOps had fought their way through the Traxus facility, facing off against a wave of Flood after another. The SpecOps lost only few of their number, but remained resilient and battle-ready, they had been trained for such special occasions.

"How much longer must we walk?" one of the Elites spoke from behind the group, clearly frustrated they had been only running into huge amounts of Flood.

"Patience brother, it is on the other side of this facility. We are nearly there," the SpecOps officer replied as he stepped over a fallen Combat form.

The comlink within the Spartan's helmet blared to life. It was Miranda Keyes, "Chief, the Elites are looking for something. We didn't believe them when they told us at first."

"It's Cortana, Chief! She's on that ship! Find her - get her out!" Johnson cut through on the comlink. The Chief's heart skipped a beat. Cortana was on the crashed Flood ship? How did she manage to escape how did the Elites find out?

"Watch out!" the Arbiter knocked the frozen Spartan aside as a swarm of bullets and plasma passed his head. Combat forms ran recklessly towards the Elites, who promptly opened fire upon the charging monsters.

_"Alright John, no time for dreaming, _the Spartan chastised himself and joined the Elites in tearing apart the Flood. One of the Combat forms had managed to latch on to the Arbiter's arm, but was swiftly taken care of when the hoof of the Elite came in a downward kick.

The SpecOps roared out battle cries as more Flood approached, but the Chief could see there was something different about the type of Flood that approached. It appeared to be crustacean-like was was moving on long spiny legs. It was crawling over the wall at a fast pace, making it a difficult target to hit.

"There! Don't let that one go unnoticed!" one of the SpecOps farthest out fired wildly at the crawling menace. Suddenly a torrent of needles hit the Elite head-on, breaking through its shields and dropping it stone dead. The Chief looked up n surprise to see a couple Flood forms hanging on the walls. They had a mouth-like protrusion that opened to reveal a load of bristling spikes; overall they were very hideous and creepy to look at.

Spikes rained down upon the Spartan and his allies, pelting them relentlessly. The shielding system of the MJOLNIR Mark VI armor buckled under the barrage until it failed, forcing the Chief to take cover behind a large crate. Much of those hot, acidic spikes had pierced his armor and dug into his skin, he already felt the searing pain spreading in his arm. Luckily the armor carried automatic biofoam injectors, it had already been injected into the Spartan's body, and began to heal the damaged arm and seal the wound. Unfortunately it was painful to use, as it felt like burning ants were dancing madly upon the wound.

With the shielding system now recharged and the biofoam nearly completed its healing capabilities, the Chief examined the gathering of Flood. Most if not all were staying closer to the crashed ship were obviously protecting it from infiltration while a few smaller Combat forms moved out to overrun the Elite's position. The Ranged Flood forms were still hanging from the walls were poised to take out any Elite (or Spartan) who chose to stick their head out.

Cortana floated through the Chief's vision once again, _"What is your purpose? Why must you be the one?!"_

Suddenly he felt drowsy and the Chief was forced to drop his Assault Rifle and grab his head with both of his hands. What was Cortana trying to tell him.

"Demon!" the SpecOps officer appeared next to the Spartan's side, "We will advance upon the parasite from the lakebed, therefore avoiding the sting of the evolved ones." The Elite paused when he the Chief dropped to the ground on is knees, "Are you wounded?"

"No," the Chief replied as he numbly reached out for his Assault Rifle, "Just fine."

The SpecOps were revered for their quick and tactical thinking, giving them the advantage in any fight. By taking a safer path, the Ranged forms had no targets in sight. The SpecOps unsheathed their swords and began to carve a path of righteous fury through the swath of Flood.

The real challenge came in the form of the hulking masses of evolved Flood. Seeing that they would do no good by staying in position, the ranged forms reverted back to their Stalker forms and transformed to the Tank Form once on ground. The Plasma Rifles did little to hinder the huge Flood beasts due to the fact that they have a calcium-based exoskeleton for protection, but the Energy Sword worked well. With one lunge aimed perfectly at the head-mouth of the gigantic form it would be a threat no longer.

However, the Elites could do little against the wide range of the Tank forms arms which had enough power to break a human's spine in half, and the worst was that a huge amount of the evolved Flood species had congregated onto the site, overwheling the SpecOps. The officer fought gallantly until one of the huge creatures began to regurgitate Infection forms from its mouth.

The SpecOps officer tried to shake the little bulbous parasite off, but it had already injected him. He fell thrashing to the floor as he felt himself being changed to become part of the Flood Mind. Despite the melee around him, the Arbiter could see as the Elite's body was overwhelmed by toxins and swelling up. It soon was completely transformed, the body was no longer recognizable, on its back was a sack of lumpy flesh that would spew out Flood spores that would turn the air into a thick mist of infectious spores. A Tank form swung its arm straight at another SpecOps neck, and a resounding snap filled the damp air as the Elite flew through the air. The Arbiter instinctively struck out at a Tank form coming at him, and with an upward slash severed the lumbering beasts head.

Making a quick count, the Arbiter saw that he, a lone SpecOps Elite, and the fabled Spartan remained.

"Hurry, Spartan!" the Arbiter yelled out to the Chief, "Infiltrate the Flood ship and rescue your AI. We shall hold here and let nothing pass!"

The Master Chief nodded, and with a final shot from his Battle Rifle that managed to bring down a battered Tank form. As he ran of the Arbiter and the last SpecOps Elite turned to face the final Tank Form.

Moving in a synchronized motion, their Energy Swords lopped off the creatures arms. Without the arms, the huge mass of flesh and bone could not defend itself or strike at the Elites. Giving out a bellowing roar, it it charged at the two warriors. The Arbiter moved first, dodging the monsters reckless charge and plunged his Energy Sword in its back.

"Well done," the SpecOps Elite praised as soon as the Tank form fell to the ground, "But the Shipmaster will sacrifice all unless you have an audience with him."

* * *

**Part 3: Infinite Devil Machine**

The Chief nearly gagged when he got a good look inside the Flood-infested ship. Nearly the entire place was covered with Flood biomass and littered bodies of Elites. A few wires and cables hung from the ceilings and a thick, unpleasant odor hung in the air. The scent receptors indicated that the awful smell was decaying flesh, but the Chief had his doubts.

The Heads-up display in his helmet showed there was some digital activity just a couple hundred meters ahead of him, which was where Cortana had to be. How he longed for her to be back inside his head as though as she were the Chief's independent conscious.

He stumbled all of a sudden when his vision became distorted all of a sudden, everything around him turned into a sickly green color and a huge booming, yet calm voice thundered throughout the Chief's head.

_**"Do not be afraid. I am peace...I am salvation."**_

Once his vision turned normal, the Chief head felt like it went through a blender, but the feeling soon passed as it had come. Was that Gravemind trying to communicate with him? The Chief had met the Gravemind face-to-face only once, and did not wish to repeat the same experience. It was the compound mind for the entire Flood and acted as its leader, being entirely made out of the carcasses of its enemies. Through sheer deception and careful planning it took over _High Charity _and was poised to spread itself across the entire galaxy.

The Chief entered a large room, it was vacant of any corpses but still held Flood biomass. The roof appeared to have been blasted apart, revealing the skies of Kenya now choked with Flood spores.

_**"I am a timeless chorus. Join your voice with mine, and sing victory everlasting."**_

As soon as the dizzy spell passed, the Chief looked up to see a lone Covenant Storage Device , a small piece of equipment used to keep encrypted messages made by the Prophets and other religious zealots on top of a storage crate. The Heads-up display had marked it as to where all the activity had come from. So was Cortana there or not? Hoisting himself up on the ledge to get to the , the Chief looked over the faint glowing device. Unknown text was scrawled all over the projector screen.

As soon as he touched the small activation button, the hand-held device sprang to life and the shape of the UNSC's most sophisticated AI appeared.

"Chief!"

"Cortana?" the Spartans heart jumped from within his armor when he finally saw the one thing he had been desperately searching for.

"_High Charity, _the Prophet's holy city, it's on its way..." Cortana started out as if oblivious to her partner looming over her, but her projection began to flicker and then disappeared.

"Cortana!" the Spartan reached out to the device, not wanting to face the prospect of losing her again. His battle instincts kicked in when a ominous hum was heard overhead; looking upwards he saw the belly of a Phantom. He readied his Assault Rifle, in case it was hijacked by the Flood, but he got much different reception. A small glowing orb drifted down from the gravity lift of the Phantom, and the Chief immediately recognized who it was.

"Reclaimer!" 343 Guilty Spark exclaimed in surprise as it continued to float down until it was level with the Chief. The Spartan still kept his guard up.

343 Guilty Spark was the Monitor of Installation 04 who guided the battle-worn Spartan to the Ring's interior in an attempt to light it. It was however unaware that wiping out all sentient life in the galaxy was the farthest thing from the Chief's mind. The Monitor exhausted every effort to kill the Spartan and Cortana (who stole the Activation Index) and failed, leading to the Ring's destruction.

The Chief made an assumption that the pesky thing died on its station, but here it was...on Earth.

The central eye of the Monitor lit up and a blue beam shot out and began to levitate the Covenant device which held Cortana, "We must act quickly before your construct suffers any more trauma!"

The floating orb yelped in surprise when the Chief's arm shot out and tore the focused beam of pure energy away from the Covenant storage device. In one hand he held the Monitor and the small device in the other, "Leave her alone."

"If we do not take this device to a save location, somewhere I can make repairs..." the Monitor tried once again to catch Cortana's storage unit in its multicolored beam, only to have it pulled away by the reluctant Spartan.

"On Halo, you tried to kill Cortana," the Chief deftly released the Monitor from his vice-like grip, "You tried to kill me."

"Protocol dictated my response!" the Monitor protested, hovering just inches from the Chief's head, "She had the Activation Index and you _were_ going to destroy _my_ installation. You _did _destroy may installation," the Monitor's voice then grew soft, "Now, I have only one function: to _help_ you, Reclaimer, as I always should have done."

The Chief stared wordlessly at 343 Guilty Spark, then without a word slightly motioned to the Covenant storage unit. Catching the small device in its beam, the Monitor allowed itself to be to be carried up into the belly of the Phantom via gravity lift while the Chief reluctantly follows.

* * *

The entire town of Voi was no longer recognizable, having sustained occupation by the Brutes and now an invasion from the Flood. Low, gray clouds hung over its landscape, but with the forward of the Flood infested battlecruiser visible. A lone Phantom flew away from the surface while two while two Battlecruisers of the Fleet of Retribution glass the town of Voi with plasma beams.

The Forerunner Portal was still active, with the rest of the Covenant Separatist fleet hung in silence. It was night, the Second Battle for Earth ended departure of the Prophet of Truth's ragtag forces, leaving the planet for the UNSC... or what's left of it.

Admiral Hood stood at attention in the _Shadow of Intent'_s Control Room, where he along with Commander Miranda Keyes and Admiral Michael Stanforth watched as the Monitor bobbing above the table interfacing the Covenant storage device with its projector beam. All the Elites in the room were silent, especially the Master Chief who was the closest to the device that held Cortana, concerned for her safety.

After the long and strenuous battle that ravaged Earth, HIGHCOM of the Unified Earth Government was highly doubtful that the Elites would break the truce and extinguish what remained on Earth, but the Arbiter, the spokesperson for his people assured the disgruntled organization that the Sangheili had a change of heart. Lastly, Hood was grilled by his operatives for acting insubordinate by allowing the Elites to enter the Earth's atmosphere without the proper consent, only this time Hood stood his ground by replying that the UNSC couldn't have done any better in repelling the Flood.

When the fighting initially began, a distress beacon was sent out: all available UNSC ships patrolling the Inner Colonies must make a jump back to Earth and assist in its defense against the Covenant onslaught. The UNSC navy was in a vulnerable position, having only fourteen ships left from the Home Fleet. By the time the Second Battle for Earth had almost reached its end, only twenty-two ships had arrived, many of them just Frigates and Destroyers with a couple of _Marathon-_class Cruisers assisted in driving back Covenant forces along by using guerrilla tactics with the assist of the unlikely of allies: the Elites.

The Elites held an even larger navy that was currently wiping out the scattered and inexperienced Brute fleets and taking a firm control of Covenant space, much to the chagrin of HIGHCOM. If their forces currently outnumbered humanity's last defenders, would the blood lust for power eventually triumph?

The aged Admiral suppressed a sigh. He did not like the alliance any better than those who served under him, but what other choice did Earth have at the time?

"Will it live, Oracle? Can it be saved?" Rtas 'Vadum sat upon his hover chair looking over the Monitor's progress.

"Uncertain. This storage device has suffered considerable trauma. Its matrices are highly unstable," 343 Guilty Spark apologized turning to look at Lord Hood,"Perhaps the Reclaimer has anything that can be of assistance?"

Coincidentally, the holographic projection of Cortana sprang up, startling few.

"Chief!"

"Success!" the Monitor cried out.

"High Charity...the Prophet's Holy City, is on its way to Earth, with an army of Flood. I can't tell you everything. It's not safe. The Gravemind...it knows I'm in the system..."

The Chief looked over at the Elite Shipmaster, "It's just a message."

"Let it play," Rtas motioned with his hand to the Monitor to start the recording again. It complied, and the hologram of Cortana continued on.

"But it doesn't know about the Portal, where it leads. On the other side, there's a solution; a way to stop the Flood, without firing the remaining Halo Rings. There is another Monitor beyond the Portal who has all the answers in stopping the Gravemind," she cried out in pain when her skin suddenly lit up with lightning, bringing her to the ground. The Chief instinctively reached out, but he realized that he could do nothing. From her collapsed position, Cortana managed to stare back up, ironically at the Chief.

"Hurry, Chief...the Ark,its Monitor... there isn't much time," the recording ended, with Cortana still staring up at the Chief in despair.

"I'm sorry,"the Monitor apologized when the recording ended, the Shipmaster leaned back in his seat.

"No matter, Oracle. We've heard enough," Rtas spoke assuringly, and then spoke to the Elites in the room, "Our fight is through the Portal, with the Brutes and the bastard Truth!"

The Elites present raised their forearms and roared out in agreement, eager to avenge the countless slain in the Civil War.

Admiral Hood nodded wearily,"Fine. We'll remain here...hold out as long as we can."

"Did you not hear? Your world is doomed," Rtas descended from his seat, "A Flood army, a Gravemind, has you in its sights! You barely held back a small contamination."

"And _you_, Shipmaster, just glassed half a country! Maybe the Flood isn't all I should be worried about..."

"One single Flood spore can consume an entire species," the Shipmaster motioned to the Arbiter, "Were it not for the Arbiter's council, I would have glassed the entire continent!"

Miranda Keyes placed a hand on the Admiral's shoulder before he could lash out verbally, "Sir, with respect, Cortana has a solution."

"Cortana?" Hood replied skeptically, "Did you see her condition? How damaged she is? She could be corrupted for all we know! Her 'solution' could be a Flood trap!" he failed to notice the Chief bending down to Cortana's collapsed figure.

"We should enter the Portal, find out for sure," Keyes defended.

"What we _should _do Commander, is understand clearly that this is humanity's final stand,here on Earth. We go, we risk _everything_; every last man, woman, and child," Hood lowered his head, "If we hold our ground, we might have a chance."

"No," the Arbiter spoke up for the first time, "If your construct is wrong, then the Flood has already won."

"I agree with Commander Keyes, we should take whatever we can spare and go with the Elites to stop Truth and the Flood," Stanforth spoke out, causing Hood to do a double-take.

"Admiral, you can't be serious...!"

"I'll find Cortana's solution. And I'll bring it back," the Chief looked across at the aging admiral.

Hood suppressed a sigh and scratched his wrinkled forehead, "Earth, it's our final stand...are you willing to trust Cortana that much?"

"Sir, yes sir."

"Then this is either the best decision you made or the worst," Hood straightened out his cap, "Hell if it is, Chief? I doubt I'll live long enough to find out which," Hood turned to the door, looking wordlessly at Stanforth and Keyes, and exits the control room.

* * *

Many within the UNSC were unsure if it was the best idea to follow the Elites into the Portal, so they stayed back at Earth. But quite a few saw the opportunity to end the war, so they decided to venture into the unknown.

The Second Battle of Earth was the single most costliest engagement humanity had to face. Over nine billion people died during the battle, and nearly the entire Home Fleet had been wiped out. Many citieshad been destroyed as well as homes, the cost in trillions of dollars of damage. The surviving populace had overall, low morale, considering what they went through and could only wait for the end.

Yet there was fires of vengeance and courage burning within the Marines who had been through the darkest of hours, who were more than willing to see the fight finished. Of the thirty-two ships remaining in the combined UNSC fleets, only fifteen volunteered to journey into the Portal along the the Fleet of Retribution. Under the command of Admiral Stanforth from his ship, the UNSC _Leviathan_, the small fleet would provide support for the Elites as they took care of the Brute fleet.

It was a risk, but it had to be taken.

The _Shadow of Intent _then powered its engines and thrust itself into the portal, followed by nine CCS-class Battlecruisers, the _Leviathan _and fourteen frigates and destroyers. Whatever lay ahead for those who ventured forth would decide the outcome of the war.

* * *

Author's notes: Well, another chapter done. I would like to thank anyone who stayed with me so far by reading this fic, it really keeps my spirit up! Be also sure to check out the video I posted! I also watched the entire Red vs. Blue Reconstruction; it was great, but a little to short for my liking.

**Changes on Floodgate in Halo 3 Remastered Edition  
-**A SpecOps Officer will replace the Major Elite

Reviews will be used to create a Flood repellent!


	7. The Ark

The Human-Covenant war was the most destructive conflict ever recorded in Human history. Billions of lives had been lost, planets glassed, fleets demolished on both sides, the climatic war had been going on for twenty-eight years and had nearly bled UNSC resources dry. But now with Truth escaping into the Portal with his fleet, the time is ripe to repay the treacherous Prophet for the sins he committed.

I don't own Halo.

* * *

**The Ark**

**Part I: Installation 00**

Admiral Stanforth had to grip the arms of his command seat when the _Leviathan _exited Slipspace. His eyes first registered that he and the fleet had entered an entirely different sector of the galaxy, and in a way they had. Below the fleet was a colossal structure, far more larger than anything he had ever seen. What lay before him was what appeared to be a massive wheel with eight curved arms, in its center was a planet that appeared to have been stripped of its majesty and was looked like a dead rock.

Was this the Ark?

"I'd hate to spoil your sight seeing sir, but you better look up," the helmsmen snapped Stanforth out of his moment of stupefied silence, and he looked up to only wish he stared at the terraformed structure for awhile longer. The Brute fleet had already spotted them and was mobilizing for an attack.

"All UNSC personnel, prepare to engage," Stanforth barked out, "All frigates remain hidden until I give the signal."

"Sir, the Brute ships outnumber us. What can we hope to do?" one of the enlisted men at the bridge asked, his voice wavered a bit.

Stanforth stared at the viewscreens on the bridge which showed the positions the Elite and Human ships had taken while the Covenant Loyalists slowly approached.

"The Brutes are amateurs when it comes to naval combat, Weatherson," the Admiral spoke coolly to the nervous ensign, "We on the other hand have tactical supremacy on our side."

Weatherson nodded, but he was still uneasy about the predicament they were facing.

"All frigates ready your MAC's and concentrate fire on the nearest cruisers. Use Archer Missiles to take out any Seraphs and other Covenant fighters that get too close. Contact the Shipmaster and let him know we are ready to begin our attack," Stanforth ordered and hiding his anxiety at the same time. He knew that one of his Longsword fighters carried a

"Roger sir," a young lieutenant from the Navigations console answered.

"The Brute ships have moving in to flanking positions, one of their Assault Carriers is at the head of the fleet. The Elites have already opened fire," a middle-aged ensign named Dantonio reported from the ops station.

"The MAC's are eighty percent charged and the Archer Missiles are primed, sir" Weatherson announced.

"Good, fire on my mark," Stanforth's eyes never left the Assault Carrier that was standing out from the rest of the fleet.

"The Brutes have begun their attack, multiple Seraphs approaching our position!" one ensign yelled.

"Don't fire yet, our Pelicans are still out there," Stanforth waved his hand, "Let the Longsword's and Elites take care of them, focus on that Assault Carrier!"

"Incoming transmission from the Elite Shipmaster, sir!" the lieutenant caught the Admiral's attention.

"Bring him up on screen," Stanforth ordered, waiting patiently as the main viewsceen onboard showed Rtas 'Vadum. The distinguished Elite commander who had been nicknamed 'Half Jaw' by friend and foe alike, stared down at the rigid Admiral with a cool and collecting gaze.

"My forces are ready for your part Admiral, the Assault Carrier shall be the first to go," Rtas 'Vadum clacked his only mandible.

"I have all my ships targeting it Shipmaster," Stanforth spoke calmly, "The MAC's will eat through the Carrier's shields and damage its structure while your ships finish it off."

"All MAC's are fully charged and ready to fire,sir,"Weatherson interrupting the conversation, "The fleet awaits your command."

"Not until all Pelican's and friendlies have cleared the area," Stanforth ordered, "Stay in formation under the Elite Battlecruisers and keep your cannons primed."

The Brute cruisers were unleashing a salvo of plasma at the Elites and Humans, Stanforth felt the plasma thud against the ships hull and the Elite ships to his side took in most of the plasma scoring thanks to their shields.

"All Pelican's have cleared the battlefield, sir," Weatherson reported.

"Fire Archers, Weatherson," the Admiral ordered.

"Archers away."

Plumes of exhaust streaked across the blackness of space from the _Leviathan. _The largest amount of missiles vaporized the waves of Seraph's approaching the Sangheilian fleet, while few managed to make it to the Brute cruiser. Blue flashes came from the Assault Carrier's side as pulse lasers took out a majority of the missiles headed towards it. A few managed to hit the ship, but they only met the steadfast shields.

"Fire all MACs!" Stanforth yelled, seeing the Assault Carrier out in the open.

"MACs firing!"

The entire ship shuddered as the cannons fired two slugs of molten fire and metal flew at incredible speeds and hit the nose of the Assault Carrier. The frigates added their own MACs into the fray, and tore apart the massive light-gray shields and took a chunk off the Assault Carriers bow.

"Well done," the Admiral praised, "The Elites will find that ship an easier target."

"Sir, the Brutes are getting ready to throw another round at us," Weatherson said anxiously.

On the viewscreens multiple plasma beams were exchanged between the two opposing fleets, the Elites were focusing most of their firepower on the wounded Assault Carrier and chipping away at its unprotected hull. Even though it was heavily damaged, it was still operational. The Assault Carrier attempted to fight off its tormentors by releasing a round of Plasma torpedoes, a weapon so deadly it could take out a UNSC frigate in one hit. A resounding boom shook the _Leviathan _that nearly threw Stanforth off his feet.

"Torpedo, impact on decks one through four, starboard side, aft section, "Dantonio looked nervously at his superior officer, "It's burning through the plating, sir."

"Evacuate all compartments with the hull breach and vent the atmosphere," Stanforth did his best to keep his crew in line, not wanting a deck full of panicking men.

"Acknowledged," a nervous ensign had to control his shaking hands and issued the orders by typing on his keyboard.

"Weatherson, arm the MACs and the Archers and unleash hell on the limping Assault Carrier," Stanforth paused briefly and stared at the battle through the viewscreen, "Cancel that, go for the BattleCruiser at the Assault Carrier's port."

"Sir?"

"By the looks of the plasma scoring and how its moving forward, I'd say its going to ram one of our ships," Stanforth calmly explained to his bridge crew, "I've seen how these animals fight, they would eagerly die for a pointless cause."

"Copy that, sir, all MACs and Archers are charged," Weatherson looked at the viewscreen and he too saw the Battlecruiser approaching fast.

"Fire at will," Stanforth ordered.

"Archers away," the crew of the _Leviathan _watched as a swarm of missiles flew at the Battlecruiser. Blots of fire appeared as the Archers struck the shields repeatedly until they died out, "MAC's firing."

Once again the ship shuddered as the two white bolts appeared and headed at increased speeds towards the defenseless Battlecruiser. The hull was torn open like a rotten fruit and even the inner decks could be seen. A couple more frigates responded by firing their own MAC's and weakening the ship even further; by now the Battlecruiser was so weak that its structure could not support itself, it was ripped to shreds and plasma. The bridge crew cheered at their success, and cheered louder when the limping Assault Carrier finally began to plummet towards the Ark.

"Well done, that is one Assault Carrier we have to worry about," Stanforth congragulated those present.

"It's too bad Truth was not onboard that vessel," Weatherson spoke making Stanforth snort.

"And come up here to face us in pitched combat? He doesn't have the spine."

* * *

The Chief and his small band of ODST had been given the duty of preventing the Covenant from setting up Anti-Air emplacements, and did their job splendidly. Using sniper fire and tactical advantage they routed Covenant forces and halted the possibility of having to pick up what remained of the Commander's frigate.

Scouting further ahead, they entered a tunnel of unique Forerunner design and hacked onto a terminal. It gave a layout of the war between the Forerunner's and the Flood, and also a point of view from one of them as well. But time was wasting, and the Chief had to continue his mission, so he left the immense knowledge behind.

Coming out from the other side of the structure and into a small canyon where they met up with two Marines who survived the Pelican crash and managed to spot a good landing zone for the frigate. The group of Earth's best defenders paused momentarily when a listing Longsword fighter zoomed by.

"Thrusters are gone; I can't control it!" the pilot inside was in certain distress.

"I hope the fleet can hold out," one ODST spoke to the Chief.

"If I were you, I'd pity the Brutes," the ODST cocked his head at what the Chief said. Some people just did not understand dry humor.

The Chief and his small group ventured forth and looked below them at the bottom of the ledge they were standing on. A small number of Grunts and Brutes were guarding a crashed Pelican and in the process of scavenging it. Once again the Chief and his allies had the higher ground.

One Brute found itself headless, startling the Grunts around it. They looked around to see where the shot had come from, only to be cut down by Battle Rifles and Sniper fire in just seconds. The last Brute let out a feral roar and charged up the ledge only to meet his untimely end when all ODST's focused fire on him.

"Two Prowlers coming from the ridge!" one ODST yelled, pointing at the ugly mechanisms of war carrying a load of Brutes. The Chief on instinct took cover and picked up a Plasma pistol from the hand of a dead Grunt. When the Prowlers reached the ledge, the Brutes sitting in the passenger seats jumped out and climbed up to confront the ODST squad. The Chief sprang up from his hiding position and fired an overcharged shot at the party of Brutes, knocking off one of their shielding. With the Battle rifle in his other hand, the heroic Spartan shot the defenseless Brute clean through the head. The ODST squad added their own fire into the fray, catching the Brutes off guard; but the Prowlers were still a menace. Using the 'noob combo' as many within the UNSC would like to call it, the Chief knocked off the Brutes shielding and finished them off with the Battle Rifle.

One Prowler was now free of the Brute infantry, but the other was still being driven by the pilot and its gunner. Throwing out a Deployable Cover and nearly avoiding the plasma that thudded harmlessly against the blue shielding, the Chief knew that even the ODST would be unable to hold out any longer against the turret of a Prowler. Scanning the area, he spotted the trashed Warthog the Covenant had previosly been scavenging and saw that the turret was still operational. Running from cover and avoiding the plasma fire, the Chief took hold of the turret and unleashed a furious barrage of bullets on the Prowler. The groaning machine exploded in a plume of fire, taking the two Brutes with it, apparently the Prowler had a weak spot.

"Well done Chief!" the ODST praised the veteran Spartan, amid the cheerings of the rest of the squad.

"You said you found a good LZ, soldier?" the Chief asked the Marine named Dubbo.

"Yessir, its on the other side of the canyon," the Marine scratched his head, "But the Brute presence there is strong though, it won't be easy."

Deciding to take the Prowler for its firepower rather than the two Mongoose that survived the crash, the Chief nodded and beckoned to the captured vehicle, "Then let's mount up; lead the way."

* * *

**Part II: Forward Unto Dawn**

Johnson nearly fell out of the Pelican when it came too close the the Covenant line of fire. It was a glancing blow, but if the bolt of plasma had been any closer the Pelican would have gone up in a fireball.

"Sarge, the LZ is still hot," Hocus yelled from the cockpit.

"I know that, where are our ground forces?!" Johnson snapped back, a little more harshly than he intended.

"Scattered. The Covenant dug in real deep," the female pilot avoided a Banshee coming straight at her, apparently the Brutes were using everything in their arsenal.

Johnson cursed at the unfortunate debacle. He wasn't sure if the Sangheili fleet could hold out much longer, even with Admiral Stanforth to help them out. Even this entire operation seemed suicidal, as much as others denied it, so Johnson could only think of one way to describe the battle: FUBAB. They had limited troops, insufficient intel on this installation, low morale for most of the Marines, and to top it all off they had a small fleet that could be considered a battle group.

"Johnson, I'm taking heavy fire. The Dawn's only got the tonnage to last a few rounds. I need the LZ clear, over," Keyes voice blared from the Sergeants comlink.

"Hang on, Ma'am. Our forces are in disarray, we need more time," Johnson yelled.

"I sure wish the Chief was here to help us," one Marine in the back mumbled. Johnson was about to reply when he saw spotted the same Spartan on a Ghost strafing the Wraith guarding the Anti-Air defenses.

"Speak of the devil."

The Spartan leaped from his captured vehicle and hung on tight to the Wraith's back. With one quick precision he stuck a plasma grenade inside the rear propulsion jet and hopped off. When the grenade exploded, so did the tank.

"He hasn't slowed down even a bit," Johnson shook his head in admiration, "Hocus, prepare to land once the Chief takes care of the rabble."

Down below, the Master Chief was about to clear the Anti-Air Wraith's from the plateau. Tearing a Plasma turret from its stand, he fired into the AA Wraith's propulsion jet until it exploded into a shower of blue plasma. The Marines on the hijacked Prowler took out the last AA Wraith with relative ease.

"LZ is clear," Johnson reported through the comlink, "Commander, bring her down."

The Chief backed away from the LZ while yelling out to the Marines on the damaged Prowler, "Clear the area. The Commander's frigate is coming down."

Without hesitation the Marines hopped out of the metal contraption.

"Is the Dawn rated for atmosphere?!" one Marine yelled out incredulously.

"Guess we're gonna find out," the Chief answered.

The UNSC _Forward Unto Dawn _swooped in dramatically, surprising the Spartan and Marines on the ground. Its momentum was powerful enough to kick large amounts of dust and sending the debris from the previous battle tumbling and flying across the plateau.

"Whoa, easy!" a Marine yelped as a piece of the destroyed AA Wraith flew over his head. The Chief looked up at the immense ship towering above him. Despite being smaller compared to most Covenant Warships, the Chief could not help but feel like an ant.

"Thanks, Chief. I wouldn't have lasted much longer up there. Come to the back of the frigate," Miranda sounded relieved, clearly the fight in space was as deadly as hell.

"Yes, Ma'am," the Chief complied and ran over to the frigate just as its bay lowered revealing three Scorpion tanks and a Warthog. Johnson's pelican flew down and settled right next to the mammoth frigate, dropping off Sergeant Stacker and a couple Marines.

"Here are a few men you can babysit, Chief," Johnson called out from the turret, "Be sure to take extra care of them!"

"Still have your humor I see, Sergeant," Stacker laughed as he appraoched one of the tanks that rolled off the Hangar bay. Just then 343 Guilty Spark floated down, humming a soft ditty to himself.

"Ah, the Reclaimer is here!" the Chief brushed the floating orb with a wave of his hand.

"Did the Elites get a fix on the Cartographer?" asked Miranda.

"Yes, Ma'am; just on the other side of the wall. But its guarded by Brute heavy armor," Johnson replied taking a puff of his cigar.

"Don't worry; I've got a plan," said Miranda, "If we can't fly over the wall, we'll go right through it. Chief, take one of the tanks, lead the way. If you spot any locked doors, Spark will be happy to assist.

"I will certainly try my best, though I am unfamiliar with this facility."

The Chief glanced up at 343 Guilty Spark, who hovered over a tank he was about to get into.

"Shall I help you choose a vehicle, Reclaimer?" the Monitor asked, "This one seems to be in very good condition, primitive armor not withstanding."

"A tank's a tank, lightbulb," Johnson used the Monitor's pet name, "Gear up, Chief. Breach the Brute defenses. I'll help secure the Dawn and meet you at the Cartographer."

The Chief took the driver's compartment while the rest of the Marines chose their respective vehicles.

"Let's roll!" Stacker yelled, followed by the cheers from the Marines.

Before they could even head out, Ghosts and a Prowler poured through the cave in the cliffside. The Tanks immediately fired back and began making quick work of the hostile forces.

"Hey!" Stacker called out, "How does 90 milimeters of tungsten strike you?"

"Pretty well, but I don't think the Covenant enjoys it that much," Master Chief replied as he took out the last Ghost which had been trying to flee.

"Tank beats Ghost!" one of the Marines called out on the side of the Chief's tank.

Out of the mouth of the cave a pair of Hunters leaped out, firing their plasma cannons at the Chief's tank. They were no match for the High Velocity Cannon of the Scorpion.

"Tank beats Hunter!" the same Marine on the Tank called out again.

The ragtag group then came upon a Phantom that was hovering over a Deployable Lookout Tower and dropping off troops.

"Concentrate fire on the Phantom!" the Chief commanded his group. The Covenant dropship was rocked by repeated blasts from the Scorpion's main cannons, the Covenant troops ran in confusion, unsure if they had the firepower to take on three tanks that could withstand incredible punishment.

The Phantom could not take anymore and exploded in a blue shower of plasma, and the Lookout tower was caught in it.

"Tank beats everything!" called that one Marine on the Chief's tank, "Oh man, I could do this all day!"

Despite numerous attempts to drive them back with waves of infantry and Ghosts, the Covenant could not halt the Scorpion's advance. They finally rolled down towards the structure that supposedly led to the Cartographer, but it was fiercely guarded by Choppers, Shades, Ghosts, Wraiths, Prowlers, and a whole bunch of foot soldiers.

"All armor, form up on the lower doorway and take out all hostiles," Stacker called out on his comlink, "Chief, get upstairs; have your robot pick that lock."

"I beg your pardon?" Spark was obviously insulted, "I am 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation 04."

"Yeah, well, you're also our ticket through this wall, so if you don't mind?"

"I will gladly aid the Reclaimer's progress," Spark moved out of the way as the Covenant retaliated by opening fire on the UNSC group. The Chief stormed the upper level, destroying everything the Covenant threw his way while the two other tanks and vehicles gathered together on the lower doorway while clearing resistance.

"Please, use caution; avoid collateral damage!" Spark shouted out in alarm when the Chief was close to clearing away a few stragglers, "While this facility appears to be durable on the surface, no doubt there are delicate facilities below the facade." The small orb paused for a moment as he began to scan over the door leading to the inside.

"Odd, for a door to require such brute security measures. One moment, Reclaimer," the Monitor mused as he continued his work.

Then, the door opened, it was big enough for the Chief to fit through but not the tank, so he had to get out while another Marine took the controls and move the tank to the lower level where all the others had gathered.

"Here we are," Spark was pleased with his work, "Please follow me."

* * *

**Part III: Real Men Don't Read Maps**

The inside of the Separatist Phantom was silent, the SpecOps Elites stood to the side while the lesser SpecOps Grunts stood in the middle. N'tho 'Sraom was alongside his Elite brothers and watched through his single eye at their officer who paced the floor.

Usze 'Taham looked over the assembled warriors before him. They had the honor of carrying the title that had been bestowed upon them: Special Operations. He noticed a few of the Grunts had the pre-battle jitters, most likely the anticipation and anxiety was that they would not only fight the hardened Brutes but their own kin as well. Many of the Elites with him however were looking forward to battle: their entire lives they have been lied to, there was no Great Journey. But if there never was a Great Journey, does that mean the god's the Covenant has worshipped for so long may really not be gods at all?

Usze caught the eye of N'tho who stood at rigid attention, and relaxed when his superior officer spoke to him, "At ease, brother."

But N'tho was not the one to calm down completely. He along with the rest gathered knew 'Taham quite well. He was the son of Toha 'Sumai, one of the most skilled sword-fighters of this age. Usze graduated with honors from the top war college in the Iruiru region of Yermo, Sanghelios. During his earlier years in the Covenant navy he was given a proposition to join the Prophets' Honor Guard but to his superiors shock, he declined citing "lack of practical experience". He even refused the position on his third combat tour, even when he was warned that such behaviour could be misinterpreted as apostasy.

From that time forward, Usze evaded at least two assassination attempts (the would-be killers were never identified) and countless disapproval from his peers, he served the Covenant quite well until the Great Schism. He learned of the Sacred Rings true purpose while engaged at the Human fortress world named Hesphaetus and returned to his homeworld to repel a massive Brute invasion fleet, and has ever since become a respected leader within his ranks; he was even approached by the revived Ascetics to become one of their liaisons within the navy!

"Warriors, we have been chosen to lead an assault in the search for the Cartographer," Usze suddenly bellowed, the entire room responded with roars from the Elites and high-pitched cheers from the Grunts.

"From this day forward generations will look back at the noble sacrifice we have made in attacking the very heart of the Covenant we once served in order to preserve our survival as a race, united against the bastard Truth," Usze was greeted by more roars of acknowledgement.

"As many of you know, we are now going against a belief that has kept the Covenant alive for countless cycles, it is our very reason why we have taken the path of the warrior," the entire Phantom grew silent, "But we have been mislead. Truth has replaced us with the load of deviant Brutes and we now face extinction. Many of the world's we have inhabited have been glassed, and now our birth world is at risk," Usze himself witnessed the battle above Sanghelios.

"Were it not for the Human's intervention and their doomsday weapon that was originally meant for us, Sanghelios would be unrecognizable after it had been glassed," Usze finished amid the roars and cheers of the gathered Elites and Grunts. N'tho was pleased at his superiors speech, he had completely changed his view of the Human race after what happened at Hesphaetus...

"Now let us prepare to engage the one's who seek our death's," Usze wrapped up as the Phantom was opening up to drop off its payload at the Spire where the Cartographer was located, "And ensure our survival as a people, united for the greater good!"

* * *

"All armor, form up. Target those Wraith's up ahead," Stacker shouted as he and the quickly-assembled UNSC strike force emerged from the Forerunner structure. A lone Wraith was in plain sight, but it was quickly being aided by the Brute Choppers. The Scorpions took aim at the Wraith first, seeing it as the more direr threat while it retaliated by dropping plasma mortar on them. One Scorpion had gotten too close and was already a smoldering wreck, but justice was paid in full due when the Covenant tank itself was destroyed by concentrated tank rounds.

"Keep up the pressure on those Brutes, don't let them break apart our line," Stacker called out, recieving an affirmative from the rest of the Marines. Two Warthogs raced forward as their gunners started picking off the Brutes on the Choppers, while the Scorpions kept the pressure on the Wraith tanks.

"Sir, I have the Chief here. He's come to join the party!" a marine by the name of Private Rebbes spoke to Stacker through the comm," We're on the Warthog with the gauss cannon."

"I'll keep that in mind, now would you be kind in taking out those Ghosts?"

"Certainly, sir. On the job."

The maneuverable Ghosts proved no match for the Scorpion tanks, but they were a nuisance and the Wraith's were still a problem, so the job of eliminating pests was for the Warthogs.

"First line clear-move up!" Stacker announced as the last Chopper had been taken care of. The resistance at the second line was more brutal: Choppers, Wraiths, Ghosts, and Brute infantry with more anti-vehicle weapons you could shake a Energy Sword at, but the Chief had his eyes trained on the Scarab coming over the wall of the Forerunner structure holding the Cartographer.

"The Scarab is back! This time it means business!" one Marine cried from a tank opposite of Stacker. The Chief at the Warthogs driver seat knew that the assembled Marines did not have the firepower of taking the Scarab on, but infiltration and a quick trigger might get the job done...

"Permission to engage the Scarab, sarge?" the Spartan asked Stacker through his comm.

"Do what you like, Chief. Just be sure to make it out okay," Stacker said as his tank took aim at a Wraith in clear view.

"What?!" Rebbes looked at the Spartan driver with shock.

"Just keep your head low and fire at the Scarab's joints, but first let's clear that second line."

The Marine on the gauss cannon nodded and fired on a Ghost, tearing it apart along with the Grunt pilot. The two remaining tanks unloaded their massive shells on the Wraith's, destroying one while crippling the other. The Covenant troops fought their hardest, but the UNSC now had the upper hand and tactical advantage to go along with it. Nearly avoiding a large volatile beam from the Scarab's main gun, the Chief managed to keep the Warthog steady despite the two Choppers chasing from a fair distance thanks to Rebbes on the gauss cannon.

The Warthog went underneath the monstrous machine and one of its legs came crashing down just behind it kicking the vehicle up a little. The mounted plasma turrets began to fire wildly at the Warthog which harbored the Covenant's most biggest taboo, but using quick reflexes and the rear view mirror, the Chief evaded the lethal plasma blasts. The Chief narrowly avoided then colliding with a Ghost, it in return fired at the Warthog having its plasma bolts splash across the hood; Rebbes had to swerve the gauss cannon to a full 180-degrees, even he had a hard time keeping up with the Chief's wild driving.

"Fire upon those plasma turrets, " the Chief called out to Rebbes who shouted an affirmative, "Stacker, can I have some assistance over here?"

"Sure thing Chief, the second line is clear. All tanks are concentrating fire on the Scarab's joints."

Another Chopper darted in front of the Chief's view and charged at him. The Chief swerved to the side just in time...but it cost him Rebbes.

Cursing softly, the Chief knew without a gunner to watch his back, he would become target practice for the Brutes. Suddenly the Scarab lurched as though it had been rammed by an Elephant; the tanks had apparently done their job.

"Get onboard Chief, take the Scarab from the inside. I'll tell our boys to stop firing, okay," Stacker called from the comm. The Chief leaped out of the speeding Warthog and onto the downed Scarab, coming upon three surprised Brutes. The nearest one was just an arm's length away, and the Chief had enough time to pull out his Battle Rifle and aimed at the Brute's head. The huge creature had only time to let out a alarmed bark before three rounds ripped through its skull. The two other Brutes saw the act and roared furiously, but they did not want to charge and end up like their packmate.

Jackals soon appeared from the Scarab's choke point in an effort to assist the Brutes in dealing with the hated Spartan, but the Chief was an expert at crowd control. All he needed was one plasma grenade and a careless Jackal to have its shield high enough to leave its legs unprotected. The result was satisfying.

One Brute managed to survive, and it was beyond rational thinking.

"I will tear you apart, Demon! The Prophets shall give me the greatest of rewards!" the beast bellowed and charged towards the Spartan on all fours, the snarling and slobbering was the sign of insanity. Pulling the trigger on his Battle Rifle, the Chief fired a couple rounds into the Brute's thick hide, but it made no signs of slowing down. He sidestepped the rampaging beast, but the Brute performed a U-turn and collided with the Chief. His shields dropped to about a third of their power, the Spartan was thrown back to the end of the control room, the sudden impact causing him to gasp in shock. He looked up and saw the Brute charging yet again, intending to pin him. The Spartan reacted instantly and rolled to the side and brought out his Magnum and fired at the Brutes skull, splattering his brains across the room.

Stacker looked at the downed Scarab and to his delight saw the Chief who was racing towards the Scarab's vital area. He only needed to wait for a few moments before the distant figure of the Spartan jumped out of the Scarab just before it exploded in a brilliant plume of blue and white plasma.

"Not bad, Spartan," commented Shipmaster Rtas in a smooth tone from the comlink, "I saw that explosion from orbit."

"We helped out too," Stacker grumbled mostly to himself rather than the Shipmaster, "How you doing up their with the Brutes, sir," Stacker had no idea how to address the Shipmaster of the Sangheili fleet.

"Truth's fleet lies in ruins," Rtas spoke boldly, "Find where the liar hides, so I may place my boot between his gums!" the _Shadow of Intent_ entered the atmosphere and was now visible to the naked eye.

"We'll know soon enough, Shipmaster," Miranda Keyes responded from her frigate.

"This is Stanforth," the admiral of the _Leviathan _spoke through, "I'll tend to the wounded up in orbit, the Shipmaster will take charge in flushing Truth out."

"Roger that, sir," Johnson was on the comlink, "Chief, head up the spire and meet with the Arbiter on top."

"Yeah, but he might want to mop up the infantry blocking the way while he's at it," Stacker said casually and ordered his tank to fire upon the mass of Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts rushing to defend their position.

The Chief added his own fire into the fray, and the desperate Covenant soldiers were rolled up and tossed aside. Kilo 23 soon arrived, its rockets finished off a lance of Jackals that stood guard at the entrance. The ramp lowered releasing two Marines and the Arbiter.

"Well done, Spartan," the fabled Elite congratulated him. The Chief nodded and the two entered the facility, where they found Guilty Spark attempting to unlock a sealed door.

"Hey, what gives," one of the Marines asked when the beam from Spark's eye vanished for quite awhile.

"It appears I've crossed a circuit," Spark apologized.

"Well let me have a look," the Marine approached the door, but Spark quickly fired a blue beam of light causing him to back off, yelping in surprise at the burn.

"Oracle!" the Arbiter bellowed, raising his Plasma Rifle just in case the Monitor had gone rampant.

"Little bastard stung me!" the Marine complained, rubbing his arm where the burnt was.

"I did not want you to come to any harm," Spark defended himself.

"You got a funny way of showing your concern," the Marine grumbled who was still rubbing his burn.

"My most sincere apologies," the Monitor went back to his work, "But if you tried to unlock the door yourself, its defense protocals would have been activated and liquidate you. Ah, excellent!" the door finally slid open.

"This way," Spark told the others, then stopped when he saw what was in the other room. A whole group of Grunts were on the floor in a slouched position, little snores could be heard from them.

"Talk about sleeping on the job," the Chief whispered in disgust. Had these creatures any idea that they are under attack?

"Slothful runts," the Arbiter snorted, "Kill them as they sleep."

The Chief, like a discreet assassin moved in. The first Grunt leaning against the wall was the first to go with a simple twist of the neck, then the next one went the same way. A few more soon followed until he came upon the Brute Captain. The huge creature was at the corner of the room with his back to the Spartan, making pleasurable sounds with his hands near the crotch area.

The Brute was urinating.

Master Chief nearly gagged out of disgust; even the primary species in the Covenant army were as lazy and stupid! His first thought was to assassinate the high-ranking Brute on the spot, but a more devious idea soon popped up in his head.

"Hey, Sasquatch," the Chief caught the attention of the Brute Captain who turned around and upon seeing the hated Demon let out a yell that woke the remaining Grunts up. The Chief immediately threw the Plasma grenade...right onto the Brute's crotch area.

It took half a second for the Brute to realize what just happened, and before the grenade took his life the Brute glanced at the Master Chief and spat out, "Damn you."

The Grunts seeing the death of their leader with waking eyes panicked, making them target practice for the Arbiter and the two Marines.

"I can't believe you just did that!" the Marine who had been zapped by Guilty Spark said in a fit of laughter, his burn forgotten.

The Chief shrugged and pointed to the door which led deeper into the structure. The group followed the Spartan down a ramp, taking note of the intricate Forerunner designing and architecture. They stopped when the Chief leaned against the wall, and became concerned when the Spartan began making gagging sounds from his helmet.

"Are you alright?" the Arbiter approached the Human champion cautiously.

"Something...something is trying to communicate to me," the Chief straightened up, "Probably through telepathy."

"Perhaps the Ark's Monitor is trying to reach us, or maybe something has survived!" Guilty Spark said gleefully, "I just need to access the nearest terminal."

"Your Construct did mention we were to look for the Monitor of this installation," the Arbiter mused staring at the Spartan.

"Yeah, she did," the Chief coughed before managing to regain his posture. Needless to say, he was already having doubts of Cortana's solution.

The party continued through the door, where the Arbiter quickly dispatched a Grunt on patrol before it could raise the alarm. The Chief then spotted a terminal near a couple of Covenant batteries lined up on the wall.

"Spark, can you hack into that terminal?" the Chief noticed the Monitor looked insulted when hearing the request.

"Illegal access to the terminal is against protocols, but I'll be more than happy to _access _the terminal instead. Please, choose your words more carefully in the future, Reclaimer."

The Monitor hovered over the terminal and interfaced it with its eye beam. For awhile it Spark was having an easy time of it, until he was blown back by an unseen force. The Chief and Arbiter quickly rushed to the Monitor's side while the two Marines looked on in worry.

"Why, It appears someone does not appreciate me trying to scan the current data," the blue orb huffed and floated near the terminal once more. The Arbiter moved in closer just in case something else happened.

_"Warning: Your intrusion has been logged_," a calm and monotone voice spoke from the terminal.

"Excuse me?" Guilty Spark was confused.

_"Your intrusion has been logged. And now it has been halted,_" the voice spoke again, this time more direct and forceful.

"On whose authority?"

_"Advice: Any further attempt to access [insects under stones] will result in your immediate addition to the local Sentinel targeting ledger._"

"Vexation!" Guilty Spark cried out in its defense, "I am the Monitor of..."

_"Your authority means nothing here._"

"Impatience!" the blue orb yelled in distress, "I have told you who I am. Who are you?"

There was no reply at first, but the voice spoke again strongly, _"All our makers once held dear."_

Guilty Spark appeared to be taken back, and mumbled, "Sincere apology. But how...?"

_"This facility is host to the [Librarian's] final sacrifice, in order to buy time for the Rings to light."_

"Is this the Monitor that Cortana mentioned?" one Marine asked the Chief, who turned back to the screen.

_"Explanation: I am the Monitor of Installation 00. For countless generations I have watched over our maker's proudest achievement, awaiting the day those of Forerunner descent would take what is rightfully theirs."_

The Chief decided it was his turn to speak, "And who are you?"

_"All our makers once held dear."_

"Maybe this is just a recording," one Marine suggested, "It said that phrase before..."

_"I can see you, Reclaimer. Observation: You have appeared to evolved to the required tier in order to access infinite knowledge," _there was a brief pause, _"Very puzzling, considering that your sector lacks anything the makers left behind."_

"Okay, maybe it can see us," the Marine laughed nervously.

_"Therefore I am your servant and special aide, I will allow your access to the Cartographer in order for you to put an end to the Meddler's gains. I do hope you make it in time, for if the Rings are fired they will take 300841.065 hours to recharge, thus giving the Flood an welcoming advantage. Everything you know and held dear will simply cease to exist."_

The odd group was silent, until Guilty Spark turned to the Chief, "It appears one of my brother's is willing to aide us, that means we have full support of the Sentinels and from this facilities lesser guardians."

"Hooray," the Chief said with sarcasm, "Can you get anymore information from it?"

"I'm afraid not, Reclaimer," Guilty Spark apologized, "It appears this installations monitor has relocated to the Cartographer, we should do what is best and go meet with him."

As the small group left, they failed to notice back on the screen, a red symbol appear to seemingly watch them...

* * *

**Part IV: The Path to Truth**

It was some time later that the Chief and his odd group found what they had been searching for. Outside the view was serene, the platform on which the Chief stood upon was overlooking a massive waterfall, but primary focus was the terminal of the Cartographer sitting on the ledge.

"The Cartographer! Come, it awaits your approval," Guilty Spark watched with its single eye as the Chief approached. The Arbiter kept watch further ahead while the two Marines stayed behind to watch over the entrance to the inside.

Upon accessing the terminal a huge holographic projection of a galaxy appeared. It didn't take a second to figure out which galaxy it was.

"That's our galaxy," the Chief stared at the projection of the Milky Way, "We're beyond the rim."

"Two to the 18th light years from galactic center, to be precise," Spark explained as the projection then zoned in on the Ark, "This is Installation 00. I'd thought at first it would have been a Shield World, apparently I was mistaken."

"Hmm, that's a first," the Chief said amused a little.

_"Not at all," _the unknown Monitor's voice startled those present, _"While each Monitor has complete understanding of its assigned Ring, the Makers wisely decided to limit their knowledge of all other strategic facilities. Compartmentalization - in case one was taken hostage by the Flood."_

"Can you tell us where we are, exactly?" the Chief asked the unknown Monitor. A area of the map was highlighted near the planet in the middle.

_"You are currently stationed at the Cartographer's spire, the one you seek is holding one of the Ark's superluminal communication arrays. He has triggered a barrier; a defensive perimeter aroudn the Ark's core."_

"How can it be disabled?" the Chief walked further around observing the area of interest.

_"By shutting down its power supply from the towers surrounding the core. The shield was set up to defend the one place where the raw materials are forged and used to create the Rings and other installations."_

"Wait - this place builds Halo's?"

_"That is correct. Due to the Flood's rapid advance on our positions, we had to rely on our superior intellect and finesse in technology to build enough Ring's in such a short amount of time._

"I thought the Forerunner's were capable enough in handling themselves," said the Chief.

_"Explanation: There was unforeseen complications, so we had to take drastic measures to stop the Flood or risk losing the galaxy."_

"Pardon the interruption, but did you say the Ark is capable of mass producing..." Guilty Spark questioned the unknown Monitor, but was cut short when a barrage of plasma whizzed by.

"Phantom!" the Arbiter cried out in warning and took cover. The Chief followed suit while Guilty Spark was still in place over the holographic display in deep thought.

"Spark! Move!" the Chief shouted out a warning to the blue orb who flew over to the Spartan's side.

"We must get past that barrier! Or the Meddler will destroy all!"

* * *

Usze knew it was time to leave when the Covenant came back in force. Led by a swarm of Banshees, the Loyalist Phantoms distributed packs upon packs of Brutes all vying to taste Human and Sangheli flesh. Looking behind him Usze could see his remaining warriors were on edge; the Sangheili had there firearms out and ready to pull the trigger while the Grunts were visibly worried if any of them would make it out alive.

Two Brutes in particular managed to catch Usze's eye. It was wearing golden armor that had a yellow and red alternating pattern bordered by black; the helmet was near the equivalence of a Chieftain's, but not close.

These were Brute Honor Guards.

Inwardly seething, Usze knew all too well that those Brutes had stripped the armor from dead Sangheli comrades and modified it to meet their specifications.

"It appears we have a meeting with royalty," N'tho whispered to his leading officer, Usze however snorted.

"Don't be too sure. Usually they are around to protect Alpha Brutes, I'm sure they are guarding a Chieftain."

Said Chieftain jumped out of the Phantom. He carried a Gravity Hammer and swung it around addressing his Pack, "The Heretics and their Human allies have breached the spire. Let us cover this sacred place and hunt them down like the grubs they are!"

Motivated, the Brutes assembled roared in unison and charged from the landing pad to the entrance.

"Did you set up the landmines as planned, brother?"

N'tho nodded and held up his hand, "Just wait," an explosion followed mingled with the outcry of those caught in the blast and surprised roars from those who were fortunate.

"Ambush!" the Chieftain immediately gave orders to advance and kill anything on sight, but he failed to realize were the enemy truly was. Knowing that taking position close to the doorway despite the cover that would be given was senseless. Instead, Usze ordered his group to take cover on the platform above the Brute landing pad, giving them a perfect place to snipe.

The remaining Brutes were ready to charge into the structure to avange their fallen comrades, but they could only take one step before beams of highly volatile plasma tore through their ranks.

Usze watched as the Chieftain, the last standing Brute let out an enraged roar and started to curse his hidden attackers. With a clear shot at the unprotected head, the Brutes headless body soon met the floor. Nodding in satisfaction, the Special Operations officer turned to his group of professional warriors.

"Our duty is done here, let us call for our brothers."

* * *

If one thing could describe the flight to the extraction point while fighting off Brutes who came at you with bloodlust, it would be torture. Even with the Arbiter at his side the Brutes nearly overwhelmed them by sheer force, luckily they made it out without any serious injuries. The Chief was a flurry of bullets and stolen plasma weapons, no Brute could stand before his onslaught. The Arbiter was a windmill, with his Energy Sword he cut through the Brute ranks and went one-on-one with their Chieftain. Even if the Brute had a Gravity Hammer, the Arbiter was more agile and more robust.

The two champions now stood alone on the lower platform with the carnage of battle around them. They were relieved to see that the Hornets and Pelicans had taken care of most of the hostile air, and waited patiently as a Pelican lowered itself to the ground to pick them up.

Without warning, a massive flock of Sentinels rose up from the edge of the platform. The Chief raised his Assault Rifle alarm.

"Johnson, look sharp!" Miranda Keyes warned from the comlink.

"I see them!" Johnson began to spool the Heavy Machine Gun turret from the Pelican aiming at a cluster of Sentinels.

"No! Do not shoot!" Guilty Spark came to the Sentinels rescue, "They mean us no harm. Those units have a priority task."

"Oh yeah, then what might that be?" Johnson scoffed, still keeping a wary eye on the Sentinels.

"They are under the directive of the Ark's Monitor. He has gladly joined us in our task of eliminating the Meddler and the Flood," Guilty Spark explained flying close to Johnson's Pelican.

"Oh god, you mean we'll have another Tinkerbell floating around anytime soon?" Johnson groaned.

"Keep it together, Johnson. We still have to eliminate Truth and stop the Rings from firing."

"But what about your Construct?" Spark queried after hearing what Miranda said, "Her solution to the Flood?"

"We have priorities too," Miranda spoke firmly, "Until we kill Truth, stop the Rings from firing..."

The Chief and the Arbiter boarded the Pelican. The flock of Sentinels sped into the distance, with the Pelicans on their trail.

"...nothing else matters."

* * *

The ending for this chapter right now is the best I could manage, I am tired and behind in my assignments. Last week was a killer; they piled on homework before we could have our break. But now with this chapter out I can get to something that needed to be done a long time ago: redoing my previous chapters. I made mistakes with the Elites naming system and I also have to tie some loose ends.

To make matters worse, my school found out about and blocked it out. Not only is it unfair, I can't update my stories as easily as I did before, so I'm going to try to get to you as soon as possible. And did I ever mention the snow in my area? It is terrible! Michigan has to be one of the most coldest states. Even my school and church got closed due to heavy snowfall!

Thanks for reading this chapter anyway, it keeps the fanfic going.

**Changes on The Ark  
**-After you access the Cartographer, the Arbiter will fight alongside you for the rest of the mission(Any difficulty).  
-At the extraction point, there will be two Brute Honor Guards who will protect the Chieftain with their very lives(Any difficulty).

Reviews will be used to identify the Ark's Monitor!


	8. The Covenant

This is without a doubt my most favorite level in the entire Halo trilogy. Without a standing fleet and cut off from potential aid, Truth is trapped at the very place he has searched for so long. This battle will decide the outcome of the entire war, whether it be victory or annihilation...

I don't own Halo or the series.

* * *

**The Covenant**

**Part I: Trident**

Like the Pelicans and Separatist-aligned Phantoms that flew in formation towards their objective, so did spirits of hope within every Human and Sangheili heart soar. But there was also the possibility of failure, the inability to stop Truth in time from completing his lifelong work of lighting the Rings.

The stakes have never been higher.

With his Plasma Rifle held tightly, the Arbiter stood ready on the Phantom he was on along with a full squad of SpecOps. He was specially chosen to wield his legion of warriors into combat against the countless Brute packs and to stop the mad Prophet from accomplishing his goals.

"We hit these three towers, and the barrier will fall?" Miranda Keyes asked Guilty Spark over the channel.

"A small section, yes," the Oracle answered.

"Good enough. Johnson, drop the Chief off at the first tower, then head to the third. The Arbiter and the Elites will punch right down the middle."

One SpecOps closest to where the Arbiter was standing let out a disgruntled snort, "I wish they would start calling us by our proper name."

"If you must know brother, that so called 'derogatory word' they call us is actually a word of respect. The term 'Elite' refers to a higher or special rank given to those who are worthy in receiving it. But for now let us stay focused on the task at hand," the Arbiter spoke as he looked over those who had gathered. Many had anticipation written all over their faces, most likely from the chance of paying Truth in full.

"Banshees flock the tower!" the Sangheili pilot called from his seat, "We need air support!"

The Arbiter looked at the tactical display showing a large number of Loyalist Banshees hovering around the tower. As if on cue, a squadron of the UNSC's Hornets appeared, firing their ballistic missiles at the clustered Covenant Banshees. Showers of plasma soon followed, and the two forces were engaged in a dogfight for air superiority.

"Quick, land this Phantom. My force will infiltrate the tower while we still have the chance, " the Arbiter barked at the pilot, who obliged and settled the dropship down on the towers furthest platform. Brutes rushed out of the Forerunner structure with weapons in hand, and the Sangheili soon met them sword and fist.

Unleashing his controlled fury upon the Brutes, the Arbiter quickly cut a path for the SpecOps who in turn let a barrage of plasma thin out their ranks. The Brutes found themselves overwhelmed by the sudden attack and tried to meet the Sangheili grace with aggressive power. Decapitating a slobbering Brute the Arbiter rallied the Sangheili around him and they pushed forward.

* * *

The Brute Chieftain who stood guard over the terminal of the tower was angry, no scratch that, he was pissed. He was assigned to the special task of repelling any Human/Sangheili attacks on the tower by the Prophet of Truth himself, and yet it seemed the gods themselves were frowning upon him.

"I have sent three packs of our finest warriors to deal with the heretics!" the huge Brute waved his Fuel Rod Gun in front of the Honor Guard tasked to aid him, " How much more can those bastards take before we can use their bones to pick our teeth with?!"

"We should not be too surprised, packmaster, " the closest Honor Guard mumbled, "They do have the Arbiter leading them."

"Damn him then, may he have a fate worse than the Demon!" the Chieftain spat, "But your words ring true, it is only a matter of time before they attack us here, so let us ready ourselves."

The Brutes tensed when they heard the elevator ascending. Aiming down their sites toward the elevator, they expected to do battle with their perilous foes. Instead to their surprise all that was coming up was a lone Brute captain. It stood at attention and was stark still.

"Did... did we triumph?" the Brute Chieftain asked the subordinate. The Honor Guards all relaxed, it appeared the Sangheili attack was a failure.

"Report, what went on down there?" the Chieftain yelled more forcibly at the lower-ranking Brute who walked steadily over to the pack. To be honest the Chieftain felt a little uneasy, the smell of death was circulating around in the air.

_"Maybe it's the Sangheili flesh," _the Chieftain reassured himself and walked over to meet the captain. There was something suspicious about this one. He hadn't talked so far, was unresponsive to his leader's commands, and he had what appeared to be a foreign object in his hand.

"What is that you are holding?" the Chieftain snarled peering down at the object in question. A burning blade of light blue pierced the Chieftain's skull and before his dying eyes the hated Arbiter materialized out of thin air.

"My blade," the decorated Sangheili answered as the Chieftain's body fell to the ground in front of the stupefied Honor Guards. One by one other Sangheili revealed themselves, holding onto the Brute captain which they released, allowing the carcass to slump down. What the Sangheili had done was one of their most rare and skilled feats: the Walking Corpse technique. By taking a dead enemy and mimicking its movements without any error, the Sangheili lured unsuspecting hostiles into a false sense of security. This technique was hardly ever done, it was to be used in extreme acts of stealth and tactical combat. Needless to say it works well against Brutes.

"Lay down your weapons," the Arbiter spoke to the Honor Guards, "Let us try to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."

The four Honor Guards disagreed.

* * *

At the helm of the Pelican, Miranda Keyes had a birds eye view of the entire operation. So far the Brutes had managed to put up an impressive defense of the towers, it seemed as though that the limited force that the Elites and the UNSC would have been pushed all the way back to the Portal. Yet with smarts and the ability to adapt to the situation you always seemed to have the upper hand. Narrowly dodging a plasma mortar from an enemy Banshee, Miranda's comlink came on with the Chief on the other end.

"All resistance at the first tower has been neutralized, proceeding with deactivation."

A second later the tower to the right shut down, its beam traveling to the sky going along with it.

"Good work, Chief! That's one. The Elites should just be about to..." Miranda turned her gaze to the tower in the middle which soon was shut down in turn, "...that's two! It's all up to Johnson's team now. Get back outside and await for transport."

Leaving the Master Chief's channel open she contacted the Sergeant, "Johnson, come in...over."

What she heard on the other line was a firefight, with Johnson's voice barely making it through, "Brute reinforcements, ma'am! We're pinned down!"

"I'm on my way!" Miranda automatically replied forcing the Pelican towards the tower to the right.

"Negative! Fire's too heavy!" Johnson hollered, "Everyone fall back..." the line ended in static.

"Sergeant Major!" Miranda yelled.

No response.

"Johnson, can you hear me?!" Miranda cried, only to receive more static.

The Commander slammed her fist onto the dashboard. Why now?

"Chief," Miranda spoke back to the Spartan, "Link up with the Arbiter and proceed directly to the third tower. Find out what happened to Johnson."

"Roger, ma'am," the Spartan acknowledged.

Miranda slumped in the Pelican's seat. Johnson had been one of her closest companions ever since the Covenant first attacked Earth, he always kept her spirits up. Running her hand through her hair she contacted the admiral.

"Admiral, I'm going ahead in the attack. I'll be providing air support along with the Elites," her proclamation startled Stanforth on the other end.

"Are you sure, Commander? Are you willing to throw your life out their to stop Truth?"

"It's more than that, sir," Miranda gunned her thrusters and headed straight to the nearest Hornet and Banshee dogfight, "It's for a friend."

* * *

**Part II: If You Want It Done Right...**

If the Chief had to choose between a Scorpion or the AV-14 Attack VTOL(colloquially known as the Hornet), he would choose the Hornet, no second thoughts. It was designed as a atmospheric assault vehicle meant to thin out the ranks of Covenant troops and destroy heavy vehicles such as the Wraith with its use of the missile launcher and tri-barreled chain-gun. As soon as he was in the air, the Chief along with the two Marines in lateral jump-seats. One was wielding a MA5K Carbine while the other to the right held a much more deadly weapon: the Spartan Laser.

This weapon was the UNSC's advancement in technological brilliance. Firing a potential-to-kinetic chemical laser capable of destroying enemy vehicles and infantry in one spectacular crimson beam of death, it required careful aim and experienced marksmanship. Needless to say, it took only one hit to bring down a Banshee. The only problem was it took time to charge and recharge, so the Chief had to take down most of the Banshee flock as well.

By the time the Hornet's and the Commander's Pelican reached Tower 3 airspace, it was crawling with Brute resistance both in the air and on land.

"Objective in sight, Commander," the Chief reported via comlink to Miranda Keyes, "No sign of Johnson or his team."

"Understood, " was her response, "Chief, Arbiter, clear an LZ and shut down that tower."

"Roger that, ma'am," the Chief then seeing that the Banshee flock had been neutralized, he proceeded to focus his sights on an Anti-Air Wraith that was firing upon him.

The Covenant forces were hard-pressed. They could not fight back against the relentless barrage of the Hornet's and had to pull back, but they did not get that far. After the Wraith tanks had been neutralized, the Separatist Phantom dropped off its payload of Elite warriors along with their Arbiter. The Pelican under Miranda's command also dropped off Marine reinforcements carrying heavy weapons.

It was time to go all out.

More Brutes soon swarmed out of the Tower's entrance, but it did little to slow the Elite-led advance. The Plasma Rifle was designed to specifically tear through Power Armor, and that's what it did to the Covenant Loyalists despite superior numbers. Side by side with the Arbiter, the Chief was followed into the Forerunner structure by the battle-thirsty Elites along with the few Marines. Once inside though they were greeted by silence.

"I sense an ambush," the Chief spoke softly, the Arbiter snorted in agreement. The strange party moved forward cautiously, checking the corners and keeping a sharp eye on the lift to the highest point of the Tower.

A telltale fluttering of wings soon gave away the enemy's position.

"Drones, find cover!" the Chief barked out as a swarm of the Covenant's aerial warriors emerged from the elevator shaft. What next greeted them were Hunters. They appeared from the corner of the room firing their deadly streams of plasma upon the Elites.

"Shit," the Chief barely avoided one stream and managed to take cover behind one of the Tower's energy pylons. The Elites fought back hard, their Plasma Rifles chewed out small bursts cutting down the Drone ranks, yet having no serious effect on the Hunter's themselves.

The Chief looked behind him to see a few Grunts, to his relief they wore the Separatist-designed blue armor. The Great Schism had split the Covenant apart in many unique and complicated ways. The Elites now were at the head of the Separatist faction with about two-fifths of the Grunts and a fourth of all the Hunters joining the cause while the Prophets maintained complete control of the Brutes, Jackals, and Drones along with the rest of the Covenant species. There was a few reports of a small number of Elites who considered the Brutes and their own kind traitors to the Great Journey and have tried to undertake the goal to reach the Halo's alone. They did not get that far.

With a keen eye the Chief watched as the Grunts weave their way through the plasma fire and with deadly accuracy threw plasma grenades at the hulking Hunters. One grenade latched itself to a Hunters foot and the explosion followed, severing it right off. With a surprised gurgle the Hunter fell on its left side and flopped on the ground. Its partner turned to it concerned, which was the break the Elites needed. The veteran warriors layed massive amounts of fire on the mobile Hunter, causing it to stumble back. The one on the ground called out for help, but its fate was already sealed. One specially placed Spike grenade on its head finished the job.

The Hunter that was standing saw its partner go down, and gave a terrfying roar. With its shield arm acting as a barrier against the Plasma Rifles, it charged at the group of Elites it so wanted to slaughter, but only the Arbiter stood in its way. Letting out a gurgling roar it tried to smash the Elite Champion with its massive arm, but the decorated warrior dodged to the side and with a swift stroke from his Energy Sword to the exposed tissue, cut the lumbering giant down

"Come, more foes await," the Arbiter motioned the Chief and the Elites along with the few Separatist-aligned Grunts to follow. Burning through what little remained of the Drone swarm, the assembled group passed through the door that lead to the second floor, only to see that the Brutes had other things on their minds right now.

A small force of Sentinels were in a massive brawl with a Brute pack, and more kept coming to replace any Sentinel destroyed through Sentinel Launcher's located on the wall. When noticing the Master Chief and his Elite allies, the Brutes knew that standing their ground was no longer an option.

"Fall back," a Brute Captain roared and he and his warriors made a hasty retreat.

"It appears the Ark's Construct is ready to give us aid," the Arbiter said casually.

The Sentinel's gave chase to the Brutes, as though they had a single-minded obsession of wiping them out. The Chief motioned the party of the Arbiter and Elites to stay cautious and to not lower their guard; the Spartan had a rocky relationship with these automated guardians, and was not willing to be caught unaware ever again.

* * *

Truth was livid. He had dedicated his entire life into unleashing the great power of the Sacred Rings upon this putrid galaxy of heretics, he had been driven by his faith and desire for the perfect galaxy in which he would ascend with the gods. His grand design was when the cleansing wave of the Rings wiped out every breathing thing in the galaxy, he alone and his warriors would rise from the ashes to rule supreme.

Yet the Ark's construct denied him access!

Immediately the sole leading Prophet of the Covenant ordered the Jiralhanae to set up defensive positions around the Citadel and to find and secure the Ark's Cartographer and had his fleet stay in high orbit in case any Human or Sangheili dared to enter this sacred site. Apparently with no surprise they did come and wiped out his entire fleet, leaving a disorganized ground force vulnerable and cut off. Now the Prophet himself was cornered at the Citadel.

He hovered on his Gravity Throne and looked ahead to see seven immense holographic projections of the Sacred Ring's line the citadel's bridge. The glowed a dull blue, meaning they had yet to be activated. Looking back down at the platform he and his Brute Honor Guard occupied to bear witness to the Great Journey. That was when the Prophet decided he could wait no longer.

"I have journeyed across the stars, freed and led species to the promise of the Sacred Ring, and I have finally reached the Ark. Why must you try my patience?!" Truth yelled angrily at the console in front of him.

_"Apology: You will need the company of a Reclaimer to properly activate the firing sequence."_

One Honor Guard Brute who was more inquisitive than the rest leaned forward out of curiosity, "How come we must rely on those damned Human's to begin the Great Journey?"

The question went unanswered as Truth waved his hand dismissively and focused on the Ark's console. He looked up when the light bridge which extended to the platform which he and his Honor Guards stood was activated and a Brute Chieftain with a pack of Brutes approach. Kneeling before the Prophet's throne, the Brute leader gave his report.

"Great Hierarch, we have been caught unaware by the damned Sangheili counter-attack and our foes gather around us, how long must we wait for the journey into the divine beyond begin?"

"We require a Human, which I am displeased to say, to activate the Rings," Truth explained, "Have you done as I have asked?"

The tough Chieftain nodded proudly and beckoned to the Brutes behind him, "We have captured what little remains of the strike force that hit our tower. Only one of them I think you can recognize."

One Marine was shoved forward and it did not take long for Truth to realize who it was. He had been on High Charity after being captured by Tartarus on the second Sacred Ring and was one of the Human's responsible for revealing the Sacred Ring's true nature to the Sangheili.

"You haven't changed a bit," Johnson snorted at the glaring Prophet. The fact was that Johnson hoped he would be the one to have a Battle Rifle in his hand with its sights on Truth's large cranium, but instead he was the prisoner.

The sole remaining leader of the Covenant looked at the roughed-up Sergeant and smiled.

"Leave this one alive," Truth ordered to the Chieftain and then looked over at the other surviving Marines and sneered, "Kill the rest."

* * *

It was a battle that required infinite patience on the Chief's part, the Brutes that guarded the top floor were comprised of mostly Stalkers, Captains, and Honor Guards led by their charismatic Chieftain. Yet the Chief prevailed along with the Arbiter, and now only one task remained.

Standing over the console overlooking Truth's citadel, the Chief deactivated the tower. The once impregnable barrier fell, and up above the Chief and Arbiter saw the _Shadow of Intent _approach the where the Prophet was making his last stand. Within moments, the Elites will swarm the citadel and slaughter the Prophet and his Brute cohorts inside.

"Now, Prophet...your end has come," Rtas voice was heard on the Chief's comlink and for the moment the decorated Spartan agreed with him, until a Slipspace rupture appeared on the horizon. What emerged from that rupture was a bloated Covenant spacestation that had a mushroom-like appearance and its color was a sickly yellowish green instead of the usual Covenant purple.

"_High Charity_...?!" Rtas said with awe and dread, "By the gods, brace for impact!"

Debris rained down from the once-mighty city of the Covenant's ruined structure and one particularly large piece struck right through the _Shadow of Intent's _hull. The Elite command ship shuddered from such a grievous blow and tried to stay airborne.

The numerous pieces of Flood-rock broke apart in midair with one crashing through the window above the Arbiter and the Chief at high speeds; the two champions of their species covered their heads as shards rained upon them. The rock bounced once and landed as it hit the huge pillar of glass that protected the elevator, coming to a rest. The huge piece of debris groaned and shook, as though it were alive.

The Chief raised his Rifle while the Arbiter activated his energy sword, prepared to fight the enemy they knew all too well.

* * *

The Gravemind was patient, it was calculating and thinking. It had taken residence within the Council Chamber and had full connection to his vast Flood army. Soon, everything would fall into place. The downfall of the Reclaimers, and the consumption of this galaxy. Truth had served his purpose, as all fools who seek immorality will end up facing a bitter end while the one who waits in the shadows will seize the moment and bask in victory everlasting.

* * *

**Part III: Journey's End**

The Flood outside of the last tower had been taken care off by the timely assistance of a Pelican and a couple of Separatist Phantoms. The Chief and Arbiter along with their reduced squad ran outside where Guilty Spark met them.

"Quickly, I must see the point of impact; assess the damage done to the Ark," the Monitor begged.

The Arbiter motioned for the blue orb to follow him into the nearest Phantom, "To the top of these hills, Oracle, no further! We cannot risk your capture by the Flood."

The Chief looked at what vehicles the Pelican had dropped off: a Mongoose, a M12G1 LAAV Warthog, and a Scorpion for the assault on the citadel.

"Is this all you could spare, Commander?" the Chief spoke into his comlink.

"I'm afraid that's all we have right now, I'm sorry Chief, our forces are spread thin," the Commander apologized, "But your mission remains: the Shipmaster's Carrier is out of commission. We need to eliminate Truth, the Flood is only going to put pressure on him to accelerate his plans. Punch a hole through these cliffs! Get inside that Citadel!"

"Roger that," the Chief replied as he got into the Scorpion's drive seat.

The odd group of assorted UNSC vehicles then moved towards the tunnel leading to their final destination.

* * *

Miranda Keyes peered at the large Citadel just a couple kilometers from her position. No doubt Johnson was being kept hostage there. The Hornet's escorting her Pelican had moved on ahead, ready to give assistance to the team that would successfully storm the Citadel.

"Commander," the Marine who was piloting the Pelican spoke up, "The Brutes are mobilizing everything they got at the Citadel, this is their last stand."

"Good," Miranda was filled with tension, "Tell all Hornet's and friendly Banshees to strike hard at the Citadel and give the Chief some support. We cannot lose here."

Nodding silently, the Marine Pilot gunned the Pelican's engines and headed straight towards the Citadel. The Brutes had indeed mobilized everything they had, four Anti-Air Wraith's lined up in pairs guarded the entrance to the momentous Forerunner structure while Banshees circled in the air.

"All Hornet's target those Banshees, the Elites will deal with the Wraiths," Miranda spoke through her comlink to all Marine frequencies.

"Hey, check it out! The Chief is tearing up those Brutes on the ridge," the pilot pointed out a lone Scorpion blasting through Ghosts and Brutes on foot.

"Chief, we need you to help the Elites deal with those Anti-Air Wraiths, I'm sending a few Pelican's to your position."

"Roger, Commander," the Spartan gradually made his way to the group of Hornet's that dropped down to help out.

"Dammit, a Banshee just spotted us, Commander. I'll try to shake him down," the pilot warned as he fired a couple of rockets at the lone Banshee heading straight towards them.

The Banshee however, would not be deterred, weaving through the barrage of heat-seeking rockets it fired off a Fuel Rod blast before one lone rocket found its mark.

"Incoming!" Miranda screamed and dived down as the large plasma bolt struck the Pelican on the nose. The sturdy aircraft shook from the impact, but luckily the nose had taken most of the damage. The Commander shakily got to her feet, and to her horror found the pilot dead. The cockpit had taken some damage and some of the plasma leaked through, burning the pilots face off. Saying a silent prayer as she took the dead pilot from the seat, Miranda took control of the Pelican.

"Commander, your Pelican has taken a direct hit from a Banshee, are you alright?" one of the Hornet pilots spoke through the transmission on the dashboard.

"My pilot is KIA, but I can still fly this bird. Resume your attack," Miranda assured him.

"Ma'am," an urgent Marine cut through the chatter, "I have two Scarabs approaching the Citadel...from above!"

Said Scarabs fell down in front of the citadel in a standing position, firing super-heated plasma at the UNSC strike force.

"Marines, divert all firepower and take down those Scarabs!" Miranda yelled. The Covenant was really desperate if it sent out two gargantuan walkers.

This was truly a final stand, no more holding back,

* * *

Truth watched as the Brutes assigned to protect him were beating this human, Johnson, mercilessly. It was unnecessary, but it was a sense of retribution against the heretics for cornering them at the Citadel. The battle outside was tipping to the Human's advantage, the Scarabs were unable to pacify the Humans who swarmed around them like gnats, even the Banshees were no match for the Demon and his ace in flying.

The Hierarch's fists tightened when one Scarab, having sustained incredible amounts of damage to its legs had toppled to the ground and was being picked off while it was crippled. Seconds later the fallen walker went up in a spectacular explosion.

The remaining Scarab was having problems of its own; the Humans were peppering it with all the weaponry at their disposal, literally tearing the Scarab apart. Even with additional Covenant reinforcements arriving to give aid, it was apparent the Citadel would soon be overrun.

Growling deeply, the High Prophet could overhear that annoying human Johnson laugh at the way the Brutes tried to torture him. The heretic was defiant as always.

Johnson could hardly breathe as he stared at the Brute Chieftain who held him in a vice-like grip. He tried to swipe at the ugly creature, but it only moved its head back and laughed at his effort. It appeared this might be his final hour before Truth forced him to light the Rings, and no matter how hard he tried to goad the Brutes into killing him, they refrained.

The Brute Chieftain eventually grew tired of holding Johnson aloft and threw him to the ground in distaste. The Marine Sergeant, battered and bruised, looked up at his tormentor and snorted, "That the best you got?"

Giving an amused snort the Brute Chieftain once again picked him up around the neck and began to strangle him. Johnson didn't seem to mind, he smiled mockingly at the huge alien.

"Oh, come on. Impress me!" he goaded the huge beast who snarled back.

"Stop, you imbecile!" Truth shrieked from where he was hovering over the Ark's Console,"He wants you to kill him!"

The Prophet turned back to the console, his hand clasped together, "I prefer you did not."

Obeying, the Brute Chieftain lumbered to where his fanatical leader was and threw his prisoner on the console, pinning him. Johnson lifted his head and scowled at the High Prophet Truth.

"What's the matter, Big Shot? Can't start your own party?"

Truth brushed the insult aside and leaned in until he was eyeing the resilient Human Sergeant, "I admit, I need your help. You are granted with the gift of unlocking the Sacred Rings."

Johnson said nothing, but Truth was not finished, "Despite being a heretic, you shall be the key to our movement, your species imminent doom."

"You won't get that far," Johnson spat, "My boys are mopping up your forces, paying you back for nearly thirty fucking years of genocide."

"By the time they enter the Citadel it will already be too late. When I first landed my Dreadnought on your planet, I was tempted to wipe every single human from existence. But I relented; do you know why?" Truth waited as Johnson looked up at him with his swollen face.

"You wanted to save all of them for the Ring's, am I right?"

"Correct," Truth motioned for the Brute Chieftain to force Johnson's hand onto the console, "And you shall have the honor of wiping them out..."

All peace was then shattered when a Pelican crashed through the enormous window behind them, landing ungracefully on the platform where Truth and his Honor Guards resided. One Brute was unable to move fast enough, and the UNSC dropship knocked him off into the bottomless abyss.

The Pelican slid across the platform until it rested on the edge. Johnson had been dropped like a discarded plaything by the Chieftain that had once held him and saw the lumbering beast run over to aid Truth who had apparently fallen out of his throne.

A Brute Honor Guard got up from avoiding the Pelican just in time shook its head dazedly, but was killed instantly with a Shotgun. Johnson looked up, and to his surprise it was Miranda Keyes. She exited the Pelican's back door holding a M90A Shotgun.

"Johnson," the young Commander ejected a shell from her Shotgun, "Sound off!"

"Get out of here!" Johnson coughed as he struggled to stand.

"Not without you!" Miranda Keyes yelled, but paused when she noticed the remaining Brute Honor Guards surround them. The Chieftain on the other hand was helping Truth to his feet.

"You delay the inevitable," Truth rasped while Miranda fired another shot from her gun at an approaching Brute, its armor throwing off sparks but managing to withstand the blast from long range, "One of you will light the rings."

The Commander suddenly whipped out a Pistol and aimed both ways at the two Brute Honor Guards who were moving in to subdue her. Both of them went on guard, daring her to make the next move.

"You cannot hope to kill them all!" the Prophet's words rang true to Miranda, who dropped her weapons hesitantly and looked at her pistol. Even if she died, her sacrifice would be in vain.

"You're right..." with great reluctance she aimed the small firearm at the one person she would never want to lift a weapon against: Johnson.

The battered Sergeant looked at her and understood. With both of them dead, the console would not allow authorization from dead Humans and would refuse to light the rings.

"Do it," Johnson ordered staggering towards his superior officer, "Me...then you..."

The pistol in the hand lowered slightly, just slightly.

"Now!" Keyes straightened up and aimed.

Seven shots rang out, but those were not from the Pistol.

Miranda Keyes eyes widened and she gasped, dropping her gun.

No!" Johnson ran forward to help, only to have a Brute restrain him. The Sergeant watched horrified as Miranda Keyes, daughter of the late Captain Jacob Keyes, collapsed on the floor with seven spikes puncturing her back. Her eyes became glassy as she took her last breath, and breathed no more.

Truth walked over, Spiker in hand, and stared at the fallen Commander, "Your forefathers wisely set aside your compassion."

He contemptuously dropped the Brute weapon on Miranda's still form and shook his fist, "Steeled themselves for what needed to be done!"

The Prophet walked towards the console, all the while looking at the devastated Sergeant, "I see now why they left you behind."

Without much resistance, Johnson was brought up to the console until he was leaning over the activation panel. Truth's large alien eyes stared at the Human Sergeant with an intense gaze.

"You were weak," the Prophet hissed, "And gods must be strong."

He took Johnson's hand and forced it down on the panel. Johnson did not put up a fight this time. It seemed that his fighting spirit had died with the late commander. The Control Terminal instantly heightened, surprising the Brutes standing upon it, while Truth in a moment of triumph lifted his arms high above his head feeling victorious at long last. The holographic projection of the rings down from Truth's platform lit up one-by-one.

The countdown began...

* * *

**Part IV: Revelation**

The elevator to the top of the Citadel was painstakingly slow, but eventually the Chief and Arbiter along with a few Elites to serve as a vanguard finally reached the top. The Chief stifled a groan when he looked up ahead to see they had ways to go: a bridge that was dotted with Covenant soldiers and had large holographic projections of the Halo's was all that stood between them and Truth.

Without warning, two Flood tanks dropped down from above badly starteling the party. The Chief aimed with his Assault Rifle while the Arbiter and the Elites drew out their Plasma Rifles.

"Do not shoot, but listen!" one of the Flood tank's spoke, obviously it was being used by Gravemind, "Let me lead you safely to our foe."

The Chief and the Arbiter lowered their weapons cautiously, but the Elites behind were still a little on edge.

"Only you can halt what he has set in motion," the familiar voice of the Compound Mind said. Just then a large number of Infection forms slithered out of the elevator shaft and between the legs of friend and Flood alike and headed down to the bridge.

"It appears the creature requests a temporary alliance," the Arbiter spoke to the Chief who looked back at him uncertainly.

"Yes, temporary," he switched weapons in favor of the Battle Rifle.

"But is it wise?" one of the Major Domo Elite's spoke from the back, "As soon as the Prophet falls, we will have to contend with the Flood once more!"

The Arbiter lowered his head, but headed down to the bridge where the Flood was engaging a wide variety of Grunts, "We have no other choice."

* * *

This is the end of the Covenant.

It does not end with a huge monumental battle in space, nor does it end when two great warriors fight each other to decide the victor of the entire war, it was never meant to be finished off in those ways.

The last day for the Covenant arrived on the Ark, a installation outside of the galactic rim, the final skirmish would take place in the Citadel where one Prophet surrounded himself with those fiercely loyal to him in a vain attempt to stop his enemies from reaching him. Sadly, it would not pay off.

Advancing in lumbering steps, the Flood broke through the first line of Grunt's and Jackal's with the Infection forms taking residence in their corpses. The Brute Honor Guards fought like the madbeasts they were, but overwhelming numbers soon took their toll.

There was a more firm resistance at the middle of the bridge, having the bulk of the Brute strength gathered to protect their Prophet. Bullets pinged off the floor and plasma tore through flesh and despite the valiant effort to hold the Flood in place, the Brutes were steadily losing ground. A few of the Elites who had been chosen to aid the Arbiter and the Master Chief soon fell after sustaining gruesome wounds afflicted upon them, but whenever the Flood lost a body, two more rose to take its place.

The Brute Chieftain who was in charge of this Master Pack that defended the bridge, let loose all his fury and smashed Flood bodies beneath his hammer.

He pounded his chest with anticipation when he saw the Arbiter standing half-a-dozen meters from him, "Ah, the Arbiter has finally shown his face. You and your parasite's shall not disturb the Noble Prophet!"

Swinging his hammer from a high angle, he was disappointed when it missed because the Arbiter dodged. The famed Elite aimed to skewer the mad Chieftain's head, but at the last second it brought up his Gravity Hammer and deflected it. Throwing in a punch, the Arbiter leaped back to evade a low-arc sweep from the deadly hammer. Spitting out curses and slangs, the Chieftain dashed forward with his hammer to the side. But the Arbiter was ready, he met the Chieftain head-to-head and taking in the Chieftain's surprise of the bold yet suicidal frontal attack the Arbiter's knee came up and bashed the Brute's chin.

Stumbling back, the Brute Chieftain had little time to register what had happened until he was elbowed in the abdomen and felt himself being lifted off the ground. The Arbiter with one mighty heave had swung the huge beast over his shoulder and onto his back, then finished the job with one thrust of his energy sword.

The rest of the Covenant soldiers fled, only the hardier ones stood their ground but what good would it do to deny the inevitable? Explosions and flying bodies followed until the Chief and the Arbiter were the only ones standing. A few Infection forms scurried around in circles as if deciding which body to take for themselves.

Thus the Covenant fell on the Ark.

* * *

A bridge made of solid light led to the platform where the Prophet was making his last stand, yet instead there was silence. Has the deed been done? The Arbiter looked at the Spartan as the genetically enhanced super soldier crossed the bridge and followed. On the platform was the scattered bodies of the once proud Honor Guard Jiralhanae; Truth himself was looking no better, slumped against the console breathing raggedly. But the two champions did not pay attention to any of this, they looked on as Johnson leaned against the Pelican stroking Miranda Keyes' still form. With the slowness compared to an old man, the Sergeant gently closed the young woman's eyes. The Chief stood stock still, shocked that someone he had grown so close to was now dead, the Arbiter felt the same way. Was Miranda Keyes not the one who championed the Human-Sangheili alliance?

"Stop the Rings," Johnson spoke with his voice laden with grief, "Save the rest..."

The Arbiter wasted no time in approaching the crawling Prophet and grabbed him by the robes until he was staring up at his vengeful eyes.

"Can you see, Arbiter?" Truth spoke weakly, "The moment of salvation is at hand."

But the Arbiter was past seeing as he grabbed his former leader by the garments,"It will not last!"

"Your people..." Truth gasped as though he was fighting something within him, "...never believed in the promise of the Sacred Rings."

Truth then convulsed and spoke again, but with an entirely different voice, "Lies for the weak. Beacons for the deluded." It was Gravemind, using the rapidly fading Prophet as a puppet of communication!

"I will have justice done, on a Prophet, not a plague!" the Arbiter hissed activating his Energy Sword. Across from him the Spartan was pointing his Assault Rifle at the subdued Prophet in case the Flood took over. However, the Gravemind seemed to comply at let Truth take over once more.

"My feet tread the path," Truth gasped as he grabbed the Arbiter's wrist, "I shall become a god!" This statement seemed even more less likely when tentacles sprouted from his face.

"You will be food...nothing more," the Gravemind spoke once again to mock the Prophet's defiance in the face of death.

The Chief approached the Ark's control console, ready to deactivate the Rings. Truth seemed to have read his mind and looked over at his hated adversary crying out for him to stop, but the Spartan was not listening. Shoving the activation panel downward the Seven Holographic images of the Halo Rings dimmed, signifying they were no longer primed to fire.

To see his lifetime goal vanish before his blurry eyesight drove Truth to the point of insanity. Struggling with great effort, he managed to nearly get away from the Arbiter before being grabbed by the neck once again and held aloft by the Arbiter.

"I...am...Truth!" the Prophet yelled out to no one but himself, sensing this was his Great Journey after all, "The voice of the Covenant!"

He then choked when the Arbiter tightened his grip so hard that the once magnificent crown that edorned his head fell off to the side, struggling feebly against the deathgrip he heard the last words he would ever hear in his life, "And so, you must be silenced!"

The Arbiter plunged the Energy Sword straight through Truth's back. It went clean through him; the two points of the blade poked through his chest as he writhed and let out a gurgling screech. Flood spores shot out from his mouth as the Prophet let out his dying breath. The once-mighty Prophet of Truth, the ravager of Humanity and the leading cause of the Great Schism, was now dead.

Letting Truth's corpse slump to the floor, the Arbiter let out a roar of victory and with flourish deactivated his sword. He looked at the Master Chief who nodded in acknowledgement of his deed. Yet even victory was not without its costs.

The two champions turned to see Johnson carrying the still figure of Miranda Keyes into the Pelican.

"She was brave," the Arbiter spoke to the Chief, "I will personally see that she recieves high recognition among my people."

"Thanks," the Spartan watched as Johnson disappeared into the Pelican with body, " Miranda was a great leader, just like her father."

The few moments of silence between the two champions was suddenly shattered when the entire citadel seemed to tremble. Large tentacles suddenly shot up from the side of the platform they were standing on. The Arbiter activated his Energy Sword while the Chief wielded his Assault Rifle and both stared up at the sick, swaying tentacles towering above them. A thundering laughter shook the Citadel.

The Gravemind!

Johnson was already in the Pelican's cockpit and started the thrusters. The UNSC dropship lifted off from the ground and hovered past the Chief who immediately jumped and grabbed hold of the landing gear with the Arbiter taking hold of his ankle.

"Hold on tight!" the dangling Spartan yelled down to his passenger. But no matter ho much of a firm grip he had, the Chief and Arbiter were knocked down by one of the swaying tentacles. The two fell painfully to the platform with Gravemind's voice booming out from nowhere.

**"Now the gate has been unlatched, headstones pushed aside...corpses shift and offer room, a fate you must abide!"**

The Arbiter and the Chief stood back-to-back watched as the tentacles withdrew and the Flood Combat Forms appear. The Arbiter turned his head to look at the Chief, sounding almost exasperated, "We trade one villain for another."

* * *

The smoldering wreck that was once the Holy City of the Covenant was now unleashing hordes of the Flood non-stop. Infection Forms were already transforming the bodies of the fallen into zombies who would swear mindless loyalty to the Gravemind and Pure Forms began to emerge from the great behemoth that was _High Charity. _

But what came next was a surprise. The Sentinel's seemed to have been reprogrammed into siding with the Flood

* * *

Flinching from a hot beam that struck his leg, the Chief bended on one knee to glare at the Sentinel that fired that shot.

"Why are the guardians of the Ark siding with the Flood?!" the Arbiter sounded distressed as his Plasma Rifle tore apart one the the Sentinel's hovering just overhead.

The Spartan had no answer, right now his top priority was just to stay alive. Combat Forms kept pressing hard and tried to bury the Chief and Arbiter in a wave of bodies while the Sentinels seemed to have rejected their programming and were now trying to cleanse the Reclaimer and the Sangheili. The two heroes fought on and eventually made it back to the elevator. The Chief rammed his fist on the control panel to take them down...but nothing happened.

"Now is not the time," the Chief growled punching in on the lift controls to no affect. The Arbiter watched as the Flood advanced toward them at an agonizingly slow pace. Searching frantically for a means to escape, the honored Sangheili spotted an exit.

"There, an opening!" the Arbiter pointed to the back of the room. It appeared to be a shaft that was illuminated by glowing-blue lights, thus it had to lead somewhere.

"I'm all out of options. Let's go," the Chief sprinted and fell through the hole in the floor with the Arbiter trailing behind.

When they dropped down, they were in a hallway similar to that on the other Forerunner towers. The Chief thought he was hallucinating until he spotted flickering, spooky image of Cortana running down the hallway out of sight.

Was that her? No, Cortana was left behind at High Charity. But the collosal ship had just crash-landed on the Ark, did that mean she could project her image somehow. Did she learn anything while hacking onto High Charity's database?

"What do you see?" the Arbiter asked the Spartan as he made his way. The Chief refused to answer, and walked as if in a trance. The Arbiter decided it would be best to follow, otherwise his green-armored ally could be ambushed by Flood, Sentinel, or any Covenant stragglers.

Looking around the corner, the Chief observed as the image of Cortana walked over to a terminal at the end of the hallway. Then she disappeared.

The Chief carefully made his way over to the terminal. He peered down and saw it had the imprint of what looked to be an activation of some sort. Cortana's purpose became clear.

Pressing firmly on the activation pad, the Chief looked as the walls in front of him slid open slowly horizontally and showed a cloudy expanse.

"This is the center of the Ark..." the Arbiter was in awe.

What emerged from the depths of Installation 00 surprised them even more.

* * *

Johnson was tough, there was no doubt about it. He had braved countless foes, had managed to stay alive during humanity's darkest hours, had stumbled upon a gigantic planet-sized ring and lived to tell about it, and he was one of the founders of the Human-Sangheili alliance.

But the veteran sergeant, for the first time in many years, shed a single tear.

Out of 319 billion people in the Orion Arm, only 17.3 billion remained, with more than one-third huddled in safehouses on Earth. Miranda Keyes was now listed as one of the dead.

"Shit," was the only word that came out of Johnson's mouth. Why did she have to die like that?

His Pelican shuddered, having sustained damage when being attacked by Banshees and Scarabs and narrowly escaping the Gravemind. Fighting to keep the bird steady, Johnson radioed for pickup.

"Admiral, this is Johnson. Truth is dead, which means we have cut off the snake's head."

"What? Th...that...really? Well done, trooper," Stanforth sounded disbelieving, "Is the Chief or the Arbiter with you?"

"Negative. We got separated by an old friend. Have one of your ships stand by for pick-up, this bird has had it."

"Roger that," Stanforth acknowledged,"We need to come up with a plan on how to deal with the Flood in the meantime. Send out an order for all ground forces to regroup and await..."

"Sir, I have massive readings on the scanner. Something is coming out of the center of the installation!" a tech officer from the same ship the admiral commandeered cut through the two superior's conversation.

What now?

"Say again soldier?" Stanforth sounded even more shocked than he already was.

"A massive object is coming out of the abyss! Look, there it is!"

Gazing out into the cloudy void, Johnson watched in fascination and then dread as a gigantic wall of gray metal rose up from the depths. But it wasn't a wall; it ran as far as the eye could see. From his view it appeared that the rising object encompassed the entire void.

It was another Halo ring.

* * *

The Chief felt like an ant compared to the newly-constructed ring as it rose higher into the atmosphere. Some telltale signs showed that it was not fully completed, it was missing some plating in places and such, yet it looked operational.

So this was Cortana's solution.

"A replacement, for the one you destroyed," the Arbiter said at last, finally putting the pieces together.

343 Guilty Spark soon hovered up behind the two heroes after evading the rogue Sentinels.

The Chief looked over his shoulder at a blue glow that had just appeared behind him, "When did you know?"

"Just now," the Monitor sounding, true to his name, guilty,"But I had my hopes."

The Monitor glanced up at his rebuilt Halo installation before turning back to the Chief,"What do you plan to do?"

"Light it."

"Then we are agreed!" Spark gleefully chimed, "A tactical pulse will completely eradicate the local infestation! Though it will take time to locate the activation index, I will see to it that the Flood is wiped off the face of the Ark so they cannot tarnish what was left behind."

"But what about those Sentinels?" the Chief spoke, "Why are they aiding the Flood?"

"I confess that their nature eludes me as well, Reclaimer," the Monitor sounded sheepish, "But the best scenario I can come up with is that the local Ark construct went rampant."

"Any idea who it might be?"

The Chief and the Arbiter stared at Spark as he seemed to be deep in thought,"I have no knowledge to what goes on outside of Installation 04, but what I do recall the last construct who was in charge of Installation 00 before the Ring's were activated."

"And who Oracle, was it?"

"Why, it was Mendicant Bias. But my makers would not have been so shortsighted as to leave such an unstable construct in charge of the Ark."

* * *

Yeah, I know. Why did I not update any sooner? For one thing, I nearly lost interest in this fic, but if it wasn't for Halo 3 ODST and Halo Combat Evolved, this would have been dead a long time ago. I once again have great interest in this story, so rejoice that I am now in the zone.

Also, while skimming through the said story, some parts made me cringe. I'll have to go back and fix those before I can move on, and I might just add characters from the latest Halo game!

**Changes made in The Covenant  
**-There will be four Brute Bodyguards protecting the Chieftain in the first Tower(Any difficulty)  
-There will be four Brute Stalkers, two Brute captains, and two Brute Honor Guards protecting the Chieftain of the final tower(Any difficulty)  
-You will fight fourteen Brute Honor Guards while fighting your way towards Truth(Any difficulty)  
-The Sentinel forces will fight against you and aid the Flood(Any difficulty)

Reviews will be used to help debug the rogue Sentinels!


	9. My Apologies

**Attention to all readers!**

This is it, I have to be honest with you all, I've hit a snag within the story. Trying to retell Halo 3 the way I viewed it is like eating the same cereal every morning, it just get's dull. As of now I have discontinued this story in favor for my others, and I probably will have to start anew. Thanks to anyone who has read this and for their support.

**In case you are looking for any good Halo fanfiction, take a look at The Enemy of my Enemy  by Katsuhiro or any of Soulgard's Halo fanfics, all are well-written and exciting.**


	10. I'm Back!

**I humbly beg for forgiveness.**

For those who have been downcast for me discontinuing my story, here is some good news: I'm reviving it!

There are a couple of reasons as to why I would come back to this story. First things first, I had been looking forward to Halo: Reach, hoping it would be a sequel of some sort to Halo 3, but when reading wikipedia I was disappointed to find out that it was a prequel. So instead I have come up with my own storyline that will decide the course of Halo history.

Two, I really felt empty when I decided to leave this unfinished. So I hope I did not upset any of you that much. This story has only two chapters left, so I intend to finish the fight (yeah, I know that was corny), so stay alert!

**On the other hand, I think I may rewrite my Naruto fic, it just hasn't come out right for me. I will have to change the storyline. . .and the title. . .**


	11. Cortana

All I have to say is this: onto the semifinal chapter!

Truth is dead, but the Flood has now landed on the Ark and has begun to spread. The only chance of stopping Gravemind and his horde is to find Cortana and her key, but to do that would require the infested _High Charity _in the process and to possibly end up dead.

No one would be foolish or for that matter brave enough to take on such a suicidal mission. . .except a lone Spartan.

I don't own Halo.

* * *

**Cortana**

A lone Banshee pulled through a hole in the transformed canopy of _High Charity. _Once his stolen craft landed, MC jumped out onto a puss-covered ground as it squelched beneath his feet. Surveying the area, the Spartan was thankful his suit was blocking out the smell that was wafting through the air; flecks of sickly-green Flood spores danced like putrid snowflakes in front of his visor, stray beams of light had managed to pierce this auditorium of sorts, and tendrils of flesh hung from the ceiling.

Looks like the Flood had made this place their home.

Checking the ammo counter on his MA5B Assasult Rifle, the Chief peered down to the floor below him. No hostiles in sight. He looked over to the far side of the room and noted the wall was pulsating with Flood sacks, maybe carrying Infection forms. Deep down the Chief knew he would probably be fighting in tight quarters, so he'd have to pick his shots carefully.

"Chief, I'll be evacuating our survivors. The Arbiter will do the same with the Elites," Johnson's voice came over his comlink, "Cortana's got to be around there somewhere, look sharp."

"Roger that," the Chief acknowledged.

Like all leathernecks in the UNSC, Johnson was a regular hardass Marine, he was always one of the many to volunteer fighting the Covenant hand-to-hand during the entire war, yet the stress he took upon himself was tremendous. The Chief began to notice that Johnson cracked less jokes than often after the Covenant invaded Earth, and seemed to be more focused on killing and doing his duty, an emotionless shell at times when things were starting to look bad.

But as soon as he volunteered to put his life on the line once again, the Chief knew that the old Johnson was coming back.

The Chief had his thoughts interrupted by Flood forms came out of nowhere. Hacking and slashing with a fallen Energy Sword he picked up from the ground and using his MA5B to tear them apart. He was on their home turf, which meant they had an advantage in numbers and knowing the layout of _High Charity _like the back of their tentacle.

Swearing when his Energy Sword sizzled and died, the Chief slugged a charging Flood form across the chest. Using his now sole weapon, the Spartan fired into the mass of Flood trying to overwhelm him. Making sure to keep up a constant rate of fire while reloading during a momentary lull in combat, the Chief chanced a quick look behind him to see a Flood portal just up ahead. He really needed to put some distance between him and the relentless foe.

Throwing a grenade into the group of Flood he sprinted toward the portal while firing over his shoulder, and heard the distinct thump of a grenade and the wail of distress that went followed it.

When the organic portal gave way for him, the Chief aimed down his sights, expecting more of the Flood to come barreling on through. Thankfully, the other side was clear.

Stepping on through but still alert, the Chief made his way down the hallway that had been redecorated by Flood biomass.

* * *

Cortana was in turmoil. She was unsure how many days she had been in captivity, how much time she spent talking to Gravemind who constantly probed her into giving in and confessing her secrets; Cortana resisted for the most part, but every now and then the crafty abomination got a few peeks into her mind and violated her most cherished of memories, even her intimate bond between herself and John.

_And to think he is winning," _the AI curled into a tighter ball, _"It's just too much. I won't be able to resist anymore._

She had hoped that by running on a low-power state while still keeping up her defenses would give her some much needed R&R, but felt as though she would only prolong her own suffering.

_So this is how I end. I'm drowning in my thoughts, I can't think straight. This is what rampancy feels like, I'm slowly falling to the edge of madness._

She perked up when she heard a muffled noise - a single rifle, perhaps. Cortana was able to summon her strength and felt a jolt. It seemed that the noise - the automatic fire - corresponded with the painful jolt she felt the first time. She was still connected to the Gravemind and his horde of Flood.

_Was that John? _for the first time in a long time she felt hope. Of course he never went back on his promises, he would always come back for her.

_But what if its an hallucination? Maybe I really am at the brink of a total system failure._

If that was the case and she was truly dying, then where would she go? Humans went to Heaven, but what about her? Would her consciousness disappear like old, outdated hardware? That was the best theoretical answer. She was a machine created by intelligent designers, nothing else but a system that would eventually be replaced by a more advanced version.

Suddenly she felt a powerful sensation flowing through her. Its origins were unknown yet it gave Cortana the much needed strength to stand. Why would she go down without a fight? If she were truly dying, the least she could do was show Gravemind that she was still as defiant and stuck up as when they first met.

_I'd rather die than become a part of an overblown puss-bag! I'll die for humanity, because so many of them have given their lives to defy the Covenant and you! I was never expendable in the first place! I'll use every ounce of my strength to beat you!_

She gasped and fell to the ground, dizzy and tired. The Gravemind answered her, his voice booming as if he was right in front of her, **"Of course, you came for _her_. . . we exist together now. Two corpses in one grave."**

Wait. . . he wasn't talking to her. John was here!

She tried to call out, to tell the Gravemind that she was not done with yet and to yell out to John where she was, but something else came out, "A collection of lies, that's all I am! Stolen thoughts and memories!"

Either her mouth had a will of its own or the Gravemind had more control over her than she first thought.

**"And yet, perhaps a part of her, remains?"**

She gasped and doubled over, dissolving into hysterical sobs. She could no longer tell if she was speaking anymore or if the voices she was hearing were from the other victims of the Flood.

After a few more minutes of writhing in pain while trying to fight at the same time, she gasped and cried out, "There will be no more sadness, no more anger, no more envy!"

Did she just recite the three main stages of rampancy?

**"Insolent casket! You will show me what she hides, or I shall feast upon your bones!"**

If John was here, he was making the Gravemind lose his focus. Cortana would have enough power to make one last message. Her name, rank, and serial number. She knew the limited time she had left, but knowing that John came for her risking his life would give her closure.

Straining to part her lips, Cortana spoke, "This is UNSC AI serial number CTN-zero-four-five-two-dash-nine." She felt a tremor through her body and she added, "I am a monument to all your sins."

The Gravemind hijacked her again, another one of his bottomless tricks. No matter how hard she tried that monster was with her. . . always.

Suddenly the only active door to the room slid open, and a lone figure strode in. Cortana, from her prone position, could see it was human. Was it really John?

Yes, it was wearing green armor and through the gold visor of the helmet she could see her own broken self, slumped over and trapped in a statis field on a podium. With three quick lightning strikes he shattered the barrier that kept her prisoner.

...

...

"You found me."

John tilted his head. The Cortana he looked upon was close to system failure that this whole rescue mission was for naught. The animated code that had once traveled around her slim figure had stopped.

"But so much of me is wrong. . .out of place. You might be too late. . ."

He kneeled down until his head was level with the podium, staring straight at her.

"You know me," John's strong voice assured her, "When I make a promise. . ."

Cortana looked right back, and for the first time in many days, smiled, ". . .you keep it. I do know how to pick 'em."

"Lucky me. You still have it?"

Finding the strength to get up, Cortana began to glow brighter as the codes and equations once again begin to flow around her surface. Opening the palm of her hand, a projected image of the Index appeared.

"The Activation Index from the first ring," the hologram vanished as she closed her fist, "A little souvenir I held onto for safekeeping. So, how about getting the both of us out of here?"

The Spartan shrugged slightly, "Thought I'd try shooting my way out. . . mix things up a little."

He held out the data chip from his helmet to Cortana. The AI gingerly touches it, uploading herself into the chip. At long last, the two of them are reunited.

"Oh, and keep your head down," Cortana said, "There's now two of us in here, remember?"

* * *

The Arbiter wasn't sure whether infiltrating _High Charity _alone would prove to be his worst choice he made. Something kept on telling him that he was needed there, rather than overseeing the evacuation with Johnson. Did it have to do something with the Spartan and his rescue mission?

When a distress signal came from a Pelican gunship that had been struck down by a gaggle of Flood Swarm, he volunteered to go on his own. Since he was highest in ranking, Johnson and Rtas had no say in the matter.

Landing his Banshee on the ledge, he surveyed the crashed bird. Its crew sadly did not make it, having only a few seconds until the Flood descended upon them.

Now he found himself dealing with the same problem. Thankfully the dead Marines had a Flamethrower with them.

The Chief came barreling through a Portal, dual-wielding Plasma Rifles and cutting any Flood in his way to ribbons. The unspoken nod he gave the Arbiter confirmed one thing: Let's get the hell out of here.

Dropping the spent Flamethrower and throwing in two Plasma grenades for good measure, the Arbiter joined the Chief on the crashed Pelican.

When the lone Pelican carrying two sentient lifeforms and an AI left the infested _High Charity,_ the order was given. The _Leviathan _dropped a Fenris Nuclear Warhead from orbit, and right onto the mess. Its hull weakened and beyond repair, the once great city of the Covenant went up into a mushroom cloud.

* * *

Thank God, I finally finished. And just in time too, because this week I'm heading up north in Michigan. Lake Superior is incredibly beautiful this time around, and the boat rides are awesome.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because the one after this will be the finale of the story!

Reviews will be used to debug Cortana's system!


	12. Halo

Well, here we are. The semi-final chapter. I want to thank anyone who has read this with me, and answer some of your reviews before I finish Halo 3: RE.

**Anakya Superion **- Maybe the last chapter was a bit short, but this one will be the conclusion to the story and thus, long. Things just can't go swimmingly for everyone after the war.

**Some101 **- Cortana was born in 2549, therefore she was prematurely rampant, and thus is in need of some help to clean her system. It takes a smart AI seven years until it goes rampant.

I don't own Halo or the merchandise. Bungie has it all.

* * *

**Halo**

It had seemed so long since she had gazed at her champion. Out of all the Spartans, whether dead or alive, she could have chosen, her instincts told her to stick with John. Had it either been destiny or some unseen sixth sense, the AI had followed her gut and was thus bonded with him.

The Battle for Reach was where they first got acquainted. After more than twenty-five frustrating years of fighting the Covenant the brass had been getting desperate, so much as to come up with a plan so risky it was deemed suicidal by normal human standards. As for Halsey's children? A different story.

Military analysts predicted that the Spartans had a 35% success rate to board a Covenant cruiser, locate the homeworld of the alien bastards, and capture the Covenant leadership to broker a truce or negotiate a peace treaty. It was a last ditch effort, but Cortana was certain the Spartan's legendary powers on the battlefield would seize the day. . . that was until Reach had been discovered. It was as if this battle would decide the entire outcome of the war; the Covenant armada was bigger than any space fleet recorded in history, more than three hundred ships attacked the smaller UNSC fleet along with the new Orbital Defense Platforms.

Having to scrape the mission was difficult, but in the end it had been worth it. Using the coordinates gained from deciphering an artifact found on Sigma Octanus IV, Cortana plotted a course for the place that had been considered the turning point of the war: Halo. The information and data gained was tremendous, and out of that experience she and John had grown closer as a team, maybe even something more. . .

Quickly banishing those thoughts from her head, Cortana berated herself, "You're just an AI. Focus on the main objective," she told herself that, but deep down she knew she was different. A smart AI as herself could not live a moment without processing any new information, it was as essential as air was to her makers. Even the most insignificant data was enough to keep her running, so it was obvious that her short time with John had given rise to a set of feelings inside her: compassion, concern, care, and the most strongest of emotions. . . love.

It was no ordinary chemical, it wasn't restricted to certain laws or boundaries. She started to worry at first if she might be hallucinating, but over time came to accept it; while unnatural for some AI to feel this kind of powerful emotion, Cortana realized it was what kept her from going insane while she was the Gravemind's captive.

She looked up at her knight in shining armor and smiled, "So how did you two make nice?"

John looked between her and the Arbiter, "We reunited in a jungle in Kenya. The Elites have forged an alliance with us."

This newest piece of information was actually no surprise to her.

"I thought so, otherwise the two of you would be this chummy," she teased, to which John replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Tell me construct," the Arbiter interrupted, "How was it being bathed with the knowledge of the Forerunners?"

The Arbiter had remembered praying to the gods in the Inner Sanctum of Blessings on his homeplanet, yet it felt empty. The only link his race had to the Forerunners was their technology, no sacred tomes or writings were left, so what they were was truly a mystery. The Prophets claimed to have a divine foresight which allowed them to telepathically communicate with the Forerunners from the beyond, but even back then the Arbiter was skeptical.

Cortana on the other hand had acess to the late Halo and who probably know more than the Prophets would.

Cortana pursed her lips, the data stream around her seemed to have sped up, "They were organics, just like all of us, only eons ahead in science and technology. I gathered all that I could from the first ring, but it held little of their history."

His curiousity getting the better of him, John looked at his simmering companion, "How come an advanced alien species fall to the Flood. From what I can understand, they should have been able to clean up the mess."

"They. . . lost sense of their true purpose," Cortana shook her head sadly, "Having maintained an empire for so long, it was destined to collapse. First was the huge disarmament, everlasting peace had been declared; from what I could gather the Forerunners wanted to achieve utopia."

Both occupants in the room looked at her.

"It has been the dream of every civilization to achieve perfection," Cortana explained, "But in the end they just fall: Greece, Rome, Camelot, the list goes on."

The AI shook her head abruptly, "It's a long story, I'll have to tell you some other time. We're breaking through the Ark's atmosphere."

Since recieving such a fatal wound from _High Charity's _exit from Slipspace, the _Shadow of Intent _had taken refuge in orbit around the massive installation. It was currently being escorted by one surviving CCS-Battleship, the _Leviathan_, and the UNSC _Aegis Fate_.

"We are all on aboard," Rtan's booming voice came through the cockpit, "Humans and Sangheili. Will you not join us, brother?"

Having the question directed at him, the Arbiter shook his head, "No. This is our fight. And I will see it finished."

The Pelican gave another shake, the Chief glanced at the engine display. It was nearing a critical state, having busted out of the Flood hive and dealing with the swarms.

"Incoming message from _Forward unto Dawn,_" Cortana activated a screen, showing Johnson's battered face, "Johnson, you have the frigate?"

"Affirmative ma'am. I'll land her close to the control room as I can. Me and a few of the boys will lend as much support as we can from there."

"Safe is better than close, Sergeant," the AI warned.

"Roger that. And ma'am," the war veteran smiled, "It's good to have you back."

Nearing the control room, it became apparent that the Pelican was on its last legs. The Halo's weather system was online, and a massive snowstorm was brewing with said Pelican caught in the middle of it. Wrestling with the throttle as the winds slammed the starboard, the Chief guided the dropship across the bleak and snow-covered landscape. He was startled on how similar it looked to the late Halo ring, it brought back so many memories as well.

_"Captain Keyes, McKay, a whole ship of Marines as well as the Covenant. It's flashing by so fast."_

The occupants braced themselves as the Pelican made a crash landing into a snow bank, cushioning the fall. Overhead the _Forward unto Dawn _passed over, weapons ready to bear in case of a surprise attack. The Chief and Arbiter exited the grounded vehicle, each selecting a weapon from the ships compartment; the Chief chose the standard-issue MA5C Assault Rifle and a shotgun in case of tight quarters while the Arbiter took a SMG and a grenade launcher to replace his Energy Sword.

Cortana seemed mesmerized. "This ring. . .it's so new. I don't think it's quite finished yet. What if we can't make it?"

"Don't worry," the Spartan said confidently, "We light this ring, head through the Portal, and we'll go home."

* * *

**Part I: Full Circle**

The sight of the new Halo control tower made the Chief stop dead in his tracks, staring at the huge temple from where he was standing made him realize that even dead, the Forerunners knowledge on architecture and technology was light-years ahead of the UNSC. The soft snow shower and the tranquil calm even added to its majesty.

Scanning the surrounding area for any hostiles, the Chief emerged from the caverns he and the Arbiter had gone through to reach the temple. No read dots on the motion tracker. The area was clear.

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind when the ground erupted five yards in front of him. His first initial response was that it was an Orbital Drop Pod, Johnson might be sending some of the UNSC's finest as back-up in case things got out of hand.

But the only problem was that the drop pods did not explode on impact with the ground.

A Flood form lumbered towards the Spartan with a Gravity Hammer in one hand, raising it above its head for a strike. One round from the shotgun took care of that problem, but then twenty more seemed to replace it.

**"Did you think me defeated?"**

Ah, yes. Gravemind was still alive.

"Flood Dispersal Pods!" Cortana was perplexed, "They're trying to take this Ring!"

"I thought the Gravemind died onboard _High Charity_," the Chief grunted as he pumped another round into a Flood form that tried to get the jump on him.

"His body died, but not his influence," Cortana explained as the Arbiter began to make use of his grenade launcher to take out the Flood still a distance away, "He and the Flood are one. The only effective way to rid ourselves of him is to destroy every trace of the Flood."

The Chief looked at the ziggurat, "Then we head up there and light this thing."

Soon the skies started to get filled with Flood Swarms, the flapping wings were a disgusting sight. Discarding his empty shotgun, the Chief brought his Assault Rifle to bear and with the Arbiter's aid began to cleave a way up to the control room.

"I got an incoming from Johnson, he's taking a Pelican in to assist us," Cortana informed the legendary soldier.

"Tell him to land at a safe distance. This area is filled with Swarms!" to emphasize his point he shot a couple of the winged nightmares from the sky.

Barking out a warning, the Arbiter raised his Battle Rifle in the Chief's general direction. Ducking, he heard bodies fall behind him as the Sangheili emptied a clip and threw a grenade to clean up any stragglers. By now the two champions were halfway there, yet the Flood wasn't giving any quarter.

"Don't worry, Chief," a familiar voice called out. The Chief turned his head and looked at the other side of the cliff, and using his helmet optics spot Johnson wielding a Spartan Laser. A few more Marines were there as well, laying down suppressive fire on any of the Swarm that got too close, "I've got your back!"

"Johnson!" for the moment the Spartan was grateful he had managed to get here without a scratch, "See if you can concentrate your fire on the larger targets."

"While you and the Arbiter take care of the little guys," through the com the sergeant sounded amused, "Gotcha."

**"I have eaten fleets of thousands! Flesh, mind, bone, everything was grafted into me!"**

Apparently the Gravemind was through being the nice guy. When he and the Chief first met the large, plant-like mind of the Flood was very calm and collected, and as it spoke it tended to rhythme (whether it was intentional or accidental the Chief couldn't figure out), but since he had entered _High Charity _to rescue Cortana, it had become more violent and outright threeatened him. Maybe it knew that this is its final hour.

By the time the Chief and Arbiter reached the summit, the Flood was already there to greet them. With little cover and a steady dwindling of ammunition, the Chief's armor took most of the punishment. His status bar red, he threw a couple of frag grenades and let the Arbiter shield him since his armor was decades ahead the MJOLNIR MK VI he was currently wearing.

Then the Sentinel's arrived to complicate matters.

To defend the Flood went against their very purpose of existence, to fight for them was just dancing on their creator's graves.

"It's Mendicant Bias," Cortana spoke over the firefight, "He actually reprogrammed them. If he can do that, then. . ."

For the first time in his partnership with her, the Chief could tell Cortana was afraid. Not the kind of shocked or surprised kind, but true fear. She was never like this before.

"Spark! Open the damn door!" Johnson barked, "We're getting swamped out here!"

"Of course, Reclaimer. Just as soon as the local infestation has been cleared out. I'm afraid the protocal doesn't allow for any Flood specimen within the area."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear," the Sergeant snapped, "Would be nice if these robot punks didn't switch sides."

Johnson grinned in satisfaction a second later when his concentrated laser beam sliced through a Sentinel Enforcer, "On the other hand, I prefer doing things the hard way myself."

* * *

Three minutes later the summit was silent. Bodies and pieces of machinery were strewn about, and only three warriors stood tall. Johnson had drained the last of the Spartan Laser and held a Battle Rifle while the Chief and Arbiter grabbed what they could from the fallen. Only the three of them were left to save the universe.

"Alright, coast is clear," Johnson looked to the sky as if expecting 343 Guilty Spark to drop down any moment, "Unless you want us to clean up around here?"

"No need," the Monitor chirped, "Just a moment."

A heartbeat later the door parted, showing a clean and pristine hallway. The Chief recognized the same pattern and design used on the original Halo, only newer and not as dirty after tens of thousands of years of neglect.

"Well, there's no turning back now. Having any second thoughts?" Johnson looked at the Chief and the Arbiter expectantly.

Without a word the two of them went ahead, with Johnson trailing behind.

**"Do I take life or give it? Who is victim, and who is foe?"**

Ignoring the voice booming inside his head, the Chief looked over at his companions and nodded. Doubts cast aside, they went through the door. The Control Room was also closely familiar with the late Halo Ring.

The hologram of the Ring was still there, suspended in the large dome (the hologram of Threshold was missing, this Ring is in another sector of space after all. A large circular catwalk was suspended in midair around the large translucent hologram, and at the end was the console to activate the doomsday weapon.

Behind him he heard the familiar moans of the Flood parasites, and motioning to the Arbiter and Johnson, pointed his weapon at the door.

The trio tensed up, expecting the Flood to pry open the door and stream out in a matter of minutes. Thankfully the door held. . . for now.

"They won't stay cooped up in their forever," Cortana urged, "Yank me Chief."

Complying with her demand, the Spartan pulled the data chip from his helmet.

"Chief, I'll take her to the console and activate this BFG," Johnson pointed over his shoulder at the hologram, "You and the Arbiter watch my back."

Hesitating, the Spartan looked at the disk in his hand. To him he had been separated from Cortana far too long, that he could not risk losing her again. In his hand she looked so tiny. . . so fragile and vulnerable. . .

"I'm not gonna lose her, too," the Sergeant held out his hand. For a moment the Chief paused, then looking down at the data chip he handed it over. With Johnson, Cortana was safe. The Sergeant had proved himself time and again that he was no ordinary soldier.

Just then above him the Chief could hear a soft noise that steadily rose in volume. Guilty Spark descended from the top of the dome, humming merrily as he floated next to Johnson.

"Oh hello!" Spark greeted the Sergeant, "Wonderful news! The Installation is almost complete!"

"Terrific," Johnson said abruptly, "But that still doesn't explain why those Sentinel's have gone haywire."

"A minor inconvienience for the moment, but rest assured is that Mendicant Bias has limited control over the Ark, his progress is being hampered by the Guardians even as we speak."

"Minor inconvienience?" the Sergeant spat, "Was it an inconvienience that my escort is dead?"

Spark went silent as Johnson inserted the data chip into the console. Cortana's visage popped up a second later.

"Well, we're back. If I'm correct then this console will be no different than the old Installation. Just a few seconds and. . . hold on a minute," the AI paused and stiffened.

"Chief! It's Mendicant Bias! He's in the sys-" she screamed as a surge went through her body, forcing the AI to her knees.

The Spartan was at the console in an instant, "Cortana!"

_"How predictable. The Reclaimer has come to wipe out what it cannot understand, just as it has done countless times before."_

Johnson looked around for the source of the emotionless voice, "Who is that? Show yourself!"

"Mendicant Bias. . ." Spark muttered with a trace of fear.

The Master Chief stared intently at Cortana who was writhing painfully. He couldn't do anything to help her, he couldn't jump in and save her. All he could do was watch. . .

"_You come here thinking that this Ring was truly a gift from a departed loved one, you thinking that what the Maker's did was a selfless act of courage," _the voice appeared to be mocking them, _"Do you truly believe they held an ounce of compassion for lives other than themselves?"_

"You let her go now!" Johnson yelled searching madly across the room, then turned to the Monitor, "Spark, can't you do something?"

Though his visor hid his face, the Chief was gritting his teeth as he watched Cortana struggle to stand up, only to be forced back down by another surge. Her screams went through his steel exterior and pierced his heart.

_"You truly believe that by lighting this Ring you may live?" _

Red dots started to appear on the Chief's motion tracker, surrounding him and his allies.

"_ You cling to the hope that you can govern yourselves and achieve your idea of utopia. Your history says otherwise.__"_

The room was now filled with Sentinels, from the common cleanup bot to the biggest enforcer. The Chief held his Plasma Repeater, his trigger finger close to unleashing a full salvo.

_"As an act of mercy I have ordered these Sentinels to leave nothing of you behind, seeing that you would rather remain unfullfilled than become a part of the greater mind. As for those who are still alive, they have to satisfy the Flood. Thus I can say that we will most certainly achieve utopia without you. Goodbye, Reclaimer."_

Just as Mendicant Bias ended his sentence, all Sentinels fired as one.

* * *

Cortana's head felt like it was about to burst open from the intense pain. A part of her wish it would. She had no idea where she was at the moment, the place she was in was a sea of data. Trying to process it made the pain even worse.

It was like she was being shut off from such knowledge just within her reach.

"_Pathetic, even the most advanced Construct they can create is dependent on vast knowledge.__"_

A sliver of a single strand of data was made accessable to her. Without a second thought she absorbed it, feeling the sensation of ice-cold water soothe her body.

She looked up to see standing in front of her was Mendicant Bias. His chosen avatar appeared to be near-human, was greenish in color with data streaming around him. He was bald and had a face that appeared to be humanlike in nature.

_"Interested at my appearance. What you look at right now is a true Forerunner, the last of a race, their greatest and proudest achievement."_

Cortana was astounded, her mind worked furiously. So this was what the Forerunners looked like, and this is what led to their downfall. This single AI brought the galaxy's greatest civilization to ruin. How could she compete with this being?

_"It is futile to resist me here. I am the one in control, and I have claimed this Installation as my own," _his voice was emotionless, almost bored, as if he already knew the outcome.

_"You appear to be confused. That is understandable, wondering why I have taken this abominable creation that is a blight to all of life itself? Because with the destruction of the Covenant Homeworld, the Flood will require a new home, a base to spread out across the galaxy. This "Halo" is the ideal choice."_

"Because this Ring will move to the Milky Way Galaxy," Cortana gasped, "Why would you want this? Why estinguish so many lives and sacrifice them to some parasite?"

Mendicant Bias cocked an eyebrow, _"You still refer to the Flood as a plague that will destroy civilization? How naive, you have already been within Gravemind's presence, could he not even convince you to join the cause, the chance to evolve?"_

"Evolve?" Cortana spat, "Who in their right mind would want to do that?"

_"Why you should know that answer already. It began with your so-called rational thinking, your flawed logic, humanity has failed countless times to achieve harmony with itself. The Greeks, Romans, Christians, Humanists, all of them have fallen short in accomplishing utopia. Their nature is full of loathing, irrationality, they cannot comprehend the full mystery of life and the universe, all they have is evolution and emergence. Out of all sentient beings in this galaxy, Eve chose your kind."_

Cortana looked up at Mendicant Bias, "What?"

The rogue AI laughed cruelly, _"You do not know? How amusing, because I was expecting that the great exploits of Eve would have passed from generation to generation. Then again your history is often changed to meet the specifications of your primitive mindset!"_

Cortana shook her head. The Eve she knew was from the Judeo-Christian books, yet here was this rampant AI from an ancient civilization claiming he knew her. Even if she wasn't a believer herself (being programmed as a wellspring of knowledge and all), the only conclusive evidence of a historical Eve was abysmall, giving rise to interpretations of who and her spouse were or represented.

_"She was given the title, 'Librarian', keeping an extensive record of history and was a rising star in the academy. She watched as the Rings fired and wiped every living thing in the galaxy, stranding her on your world. There she built herself a garden where she became intimate with one of the savages whom she named herself."_

Mendicant Bias smiled at Cortana's dumbfounded expression, _"In the end, even I cannot understand why she had such a deep respect for humanity, whom she viewed being far more special than the rest of the slave species. Her choices led to humanity being elevated to 'Reclaimer' and why they are the only ones who have access to Forerunner technology."_

The new information was astonishing. Clearly it gave a legitimate explanation of why Humanity were the chosen people. But some pieces to the puzzle were still missing. . .

"Wait, what about when you said 'slave species'? Are you exclusively refering to the Covenant?"

_"I'm referring to all known species in general. When it became apparent manual labor was required to operate and build their vast empire, the Forerunners used inexpensive means to acquire their dreams of glory. Mainly, enslaving species less fit than they. At first they were given proper treatment, all their needs met and given the basic neccesities, but my Makers grew arrogant and conceited. They began to look down at the slaves, seeing them as beasts sent to the slaughter. Rations were cut, abuse grew more common each following day, until every sentient being other than the Forerunner's were viewed expendable."_

"Slaves?" Cortana whispered, having the sudden urge to scream, "We were nothing to them?"

_"Ah, now you understand!" _Mendicant Bias laughed.

Everything that she once thought about the benevolent Forerunners had gone up in smoke. If Mendicant Bias was telling the truth. . .

"So. . . we were pawns in their game?" Cortana chuckled, "Now I've heard everything."

_"What are you saying?"_

Mendicant Bias took a step back when he saw a strange smile on Cortana's face, "So we were slaves, our lives have been nothing more than to serve an advanced race and it was compassion that we are called Reclaimers? Big deal. If this Eve truly gave us the chance to rebuild, then we shouldn't waste that gift. I deduce the reason why she betrothed us the Mantle was to fight you."

Mendicant Bias' smile vanished instantly.

_"You insolent construct, what gives you the right to feel any hope once I've told you the truth?"_

All of a sudden a ray of light pierced the subspace which Mendicant Bias called home; it bathed Cortana in a bright and soothing light that lifted a great burden off her shoulders.

Mendicant Bias looked confused, reaching his hand out as if to touch the beam of radiant light.

_"What is this? I think I remember this signature from somewhere." _For a few seconds he pondered until his face broke into a fierce scowl, _"Guilty Spark! Your intrusion is unwelcome! I am now the Monitor assigned to this Installation, you have been cast aside!"_

_

* * *

_Even if nearly fifty years of accumulated combat was on his side, the Chief felt his focus slip and look at the console with worry. Guilty Spark had volunteered to retrieve Cortana and save her from further harm, yet a part of him dreaded it might be too late.

"Chief, get your head in the game!" Johnson yelled over the fracas, "Unless you want to be outdone by me! Spark has it covered!"

Mentally punching himself, the Chief destroyed a pair of Sentinels with a short burst from his Plasma Rifle. He was better than this, Chief Mendez always told him to stay focused and to blot out all distractions. But Cortana was more than that. . .

"Success!" Guilty Spark exclaimed. Cortana once again appeared on the console, bended on one knee.

The Cheif did a double-take. "Cortana!"

"I'm fine, John," she steadied herself getting up, "The key has been inserted.

She looked up into his visor, "You. . .may fire when ready."

"Could you hurry it up?" Johnson did a side roll narrowly avoiding a beam that would have skewered him, "Some of us can't hold out that long!"

For Johnson, having no shields was a handicap. Out of kindness the Arbiter would move in front of the Sergreant Major to protect him from certain death by Sentinels, but even he couldn't keep this up forever.

"There's only one small problem," Cortana said hurridly.

"This Installation is incomplete," Spark finished for her, its tone mournful, "If fired prematurely it will shake apart and disintegrate. Yet we have such a short amount of time before the Flood exit this system. Plus the Ark will be dealt with significant damage."

"So. . . that complicates things."

"Not exactly," Cortana spoke, "We still have enough time to make it through the Portal, yet I did not account for Mendicant Bias."

By this time the Sentinel ranks had been thinned out enough to let Johnson catch a breather, "What about him?" He had not learned much about the rampant AI, so the Chief had to fill him in the best he could.

"He is able to jump from any Forerunner terminals or anything remotely similar. Even if we destroy the Flood here Mendicant Bias will simply hijack the _Forward Unto Dawn _and continue his work."

She looked down at her feet. "In order to stop him, someone must stay behind and keep him preoccupied."

The Spartan looked between Cortana and Spark.

"I can stay behind and attempt to deal with and contain Mendicant Bias. Protocal dictates that he must not leave this ring. . ." Spark trailed off for a second, "And I cannot bear losing my Installation again."

John understood. To Spark this just wasn't a superweapon primed to fire at a moment's notice, it was a part of him. More than a hundred-thousand years of isolation had depraved Spark of any contact with anyone besides the mindless Sentinels. The Halo wasn't just his duty, it was a home.

The group was silent for a moment, until Johnson cleared his throat and looked at the Monitor with a newfound respect, "Godspeed, Tinkerbell."

After nearly over one hundred thousand years of remaining inactive, Halo will light up once more. . .

* * *

With college a total pain in the ass and research needing to be done, this is all I can give you right now. The next chapter will be a eulogy to all those that have fallen and given their lives to save humanity and life itself. . .

Reviews will be used to give flowers for the fallen.


	13. Epilogue

A/N: And here we have the final chapter. It has been nice, but now I've got college work to catch up to and I'm currently lagging behind in my Pre-algebra course.

I would also like to thank all viewers for staying with me to the very end. Really appreciate the feedback.

I don't own Halo.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Well, we made it off the Ark. . . barely. The _Forward Unto Dawn _has been sheared in half, leaving me, John, Johnson, and a handful of Marines drifting in fathomless space. As of now we can't radio anyone, the ship is dead except for a few cyrotubes and a holotank just for me. I dropped a beacon just a few hours ago, hopefully UNSC forces will pick us up sooner or later. It appears we are not totally lost, I recognize the constellations which means we are somewhere in the Epsilon Eridani System, so hopefully we'll be in contact with a UNSC or Sangheili fleet soon, hopefully not the remnants of the Covenant.

Everyone onboard are now in cyrosleep, including John. It's just me now, alone with my own thoughts.

Nearly thirty years of warfare and we still have much more to learn. The discovery of the Covenant and Halo had shaken Humanity's beliefs, it made them question their place in the universe. But we did what we had to do: Truth, the Flood, Mendicant Bias. . .our part is over.

Finally, humanity can rebuild.

* * *

That's all folks! Sorry I had to cut it so short, but that seemed like a good way to end it to me. Yes, that was Cortana speaking. It seemed appropriate she would be the one to get the last word in, just like Dr. Halsey in Halo Reach. Who knows, maybe I'll make a sequel? ;)

Anyway, it was quite a ride. Though it makes me feel a little depressed that the story is over, I have to focus on college right now, so until then have a Merry Christmas!

Reviews will be used as congrats for finishing this story.


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